Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

[Susano]

SUSANO’S EIGHT STEPS TO CHARACTER BUILDING

 

Some time back on the Hero Message Boards, a thread was started titled Pictures That Could Be A Super Team. The idea behind the thread was simple: post images that could be superheroes of some fashion. I liked the idea and eventually worked up a section of my website titled: Pictures That Could Be Superheroes (http://surbrook.devermore.net/superpics/possiblesuper.html). While there are superheroes on the page, I have also gone on to put up Dark Champions characters, fantasy heroes, martial artists, pulp and science fiction characters, not to mention beasts and vehicles.

 

After a while I decided to go beyond just a paragraph of color text and started working up fully-fledged character sheets based on the images I had collected. This practice eventually led me to develop a set of unwritten ‘rules’ or steps for developing such characters. I’ve since written said steps down, and present them to you here. Of course, you can use these ‘rules’ when developing any character, not just one based off of a visual image you might have found on the internet.

 

To illustrate the various rules (or steps) I’m including the image here. One my early entries for my Pictures That Could Be Superheroes page, I intend to use this to show how I go about developing something from image to finished concept (and since I still haven’t finished the character sheet, I figure this will prompt me to do so).

 

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number One: Know Your Character.

 

In other words, ‘what is the character?’ Do you have any idea of what he does, knows, or has? Do you have a basic personality? With the dark elf image, the pose, the clothes, and expression all said ‘haughty and arrogant.’ In addition the baroque outfit made me think ‘sorceress’ while the strange sword said ‘warrior.’ Okay, so I have an dark (or night) elf warrior-mage, what next?

 

As the basics of what the character was started to jell, I knew I needed a name. As it happens, I own two excellent sources for names. One is The Everyone Everywhere List, a random name generator listing names from roughly 40 cultures. The other is Gary Gygax’s Extraordinary Book Of Names, from Troll Lord Games and contains something like 100,000 names from around the world.

 

Using the latter book, I ended up using the Romany (a.k.a. Gypsy) listing, and since the book lists names in big blocks I think I just closed my eyes and pointed. At any rate, I ended up selecting the name “Donya” from the list of female personal names. So, Donya the Night Elf it is.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number Two: Let HERO Do Your Work For You.

 

Simply put, take advantage of the various Racial, Cultural, and Professional Package Deals found in the different genre books to start putting your character together. You get suggested Characteristics, Skills, and Powers right out of the box and can build the bulk of your PC this way. While best suited for Heroic-Level settings, you can still use this technique to flesh out your superhero’s secret ID.

 

In Donya’s case, the initial phase of character development was pretty easy -- I went through Fantasy Hero and selected the Elf Racial Package Deal, the Deep Environmental Package Deal, and the Commander, Wizard, and the Noble Professional Package Deals. Since I knew I wanted a warrior-mage, I selected various options suitable for such a character, thus developing the concept as I went.

 

At this point I estimate that well over 50% of the character has been built for me, and all I did was pick stuff from lists and type them into Hero Designer.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number Three: Fill In The Details.

 

Step back and look at the character sheet. Did you get everything you need? If no, add it in. Did you select something from a Package Deal you’ve decided doesn’t fit? Take it out. This is also the time to try and fill in some of those open-ended Knowledge Skills some Package Deals hand you.

 

This is also the time to start writing out any custom powers and abilities the character may have. Donya, for example, has this bizarre double-bladed sword-thing behind her back. What is it? I have a fairly vague idea as to what it really is (the character is from the game Lineage II, and the “sword” is some sort of mystical power focus), but that wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I decided that if it looks like a sword, then it is a sword.

 

Now anyone who has used a sword, or has any clue as to how a sword works would recognize Donya’s weapon as pretty improbable. But hey, this is fantasy (and anime fantasy on top of that), so I developed a name for the weapon, some color text on how it’s used, stats, and gave Donya several Martial Arts maneuvers to go with it. Yet more of the character has been written up!

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number Four: Check The Totals.

 

Now is a good time to check your numbers. How much does your character cost? Donya is easily over 200 points by now, but I don’t mind that. She’s not meant for anything specific (and certainly isn’t meant to be a PC) so for her, when she’s done, she’s done. However, if you’re building to a set mark now is when you want to see if you’re under, over, of spot on. If you’re over, you’re going to need to remove items to bring the character’s cost down. Is there anything you bought that you don’t need? Things you can buy later with Experience Points? Conversely, are you under? Did you skimp on certain values and now can buy them up? Or, have you been given a blank check, told to ‘build to concept’, and been let loose? If so, is this the concept you envisioned?

 

No matter what the situation, now is editing time. Time to power up, power down, or fine tune the character. You’re not done with character creation yet, but you’re getting close.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number Five: Tell Us About Your Character.

 

Your character is anywhere from 75% to 90% complete. You have Characteristics, Powers, Skills, and so on all written out. Now comes the hard part -- bringing the character to life. By this point you should know what your character is, so tell us, the reader, about it. Develop the character’s background, personality, motivations; in short fill out all of those paragraphs that are part of any published character. It’s often called ‘fluff’ text, but it’s no mere ‘fluff,’ it’s often what sells the character to readers like you and me. It’s also a good time to flesh out ideas, fill out some additional Skills, and get everything ready for Rule Number 6 -- Disadvantages.

 

As of this moment, as I write this, Donya’s ‘fluff’ text is mostly blank. I don’t have anything written down, aside from a description of her sword and of Donya herself. I do have a rough idea of her personality (haughty and arrogant), and line I want to use for her personality (“Let’s get one thing straight, odds are, Donya doesn't like you”), and her origins (warrior mage for a noble house), but little else.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number Six: Disadvantages.

 

Or as I hope 6th Edition calls them: ‘Complications.’ By this point your character is practically done. Now you need to balance everything with a concise, but complete, set of Disadvantages. The Hero System might have done some of your work for you, as some packages come with built in Disads (such as Distinctive Features or Hunteds). If you’ve completed Step 5, then you have the character’s background and personality figured out, so you should be able to develop a few Disads from that (Hunted, Psychological Limitations, Rivalries, even Social Limitations). Try to keep your Disads direct and to the point. Also, don’t feel the need to make the character balance perfectly (unless it is a PC intended for play and needs to). Finally, if developing an open-ended NPC meant to be used in different setting, don’t be afraid to create ‘generic’ Disadvantages. Generic Disadvantages, such as Hunted, Watched, or Rivalry, allow a character to be used in different settings by simply filling in the needed name(s).

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number Seven: One Last Look

 

Time to give your character a final going over. Did you miss anything? Double check your math (usually not an issue if you’re using Hero Designer), and proof your grammar and spelling. Oh, and if you are using Hero Designer, try and make sure everything is in its proper place. Personally, I format all of my character to follow the Writer’s Guide rules. Why? Well, I was writing quite a bit of stuff for Digital Hero, and doing so helped me keep in practice. I also find it makes character sheets much easier to read.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Step Number Eight: What Do Others Think?

 

Yes, what do others think? Do they like the design? Do they have suggestions for how to edit or improve the character? Try submitting the character to the Hero Message Boards (if you’re part of it), the Hero Mailing List (yes, it’s still around), or here, to Haymaker!. The first two choices have the advantage of instant feedback, while Haymaker! means a wait of around 3 months to see what anyone will have to say. Still, once you get feedback, evaluate it, and then edit your character if desired.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

So, what of Donya, what does she look like now that she’s gone through Steps One through Seven and is ready for Step Eight? Well, she’s right here:

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

DONYA

 

[b]Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes[/b]
18	STR	8	13-	Lift 303.1 kg; 3 1/2d6 HTH Damage [4]
19	DEX	27	13-	OCV:  6/DCV:  6
16	CON	12	12-
10	BODY	0	11-
20	INT	10	13-	PER Roll 13-/14-
18	EGO	16	13-	ECV:  6
18	PRE	8	13-	PRE Attack:  3 1/2d6
18	COM	4	13-

7	PD	3		Total:  7 PD (0 rPD)
6	ED	3		Total:  6 ED (0 rED)
4	SPD	11		Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
7	REC	0
32	END	0
31	STUN	4		[b]Total Characteristic Cost:  106

Movement:[/b]	Running:	8"/16"
	Leaping:	3"/6"
	Swimming:	2"/4"

[b]Cost	Powers & Skills
Spells[/b]
6	1)  [b]Arrow-Bane:[/b]  Missile Deflection (Arrows, Slings, Etc.), Uncontrolled (duration of 
1 Turn, +1 Segment for every 2 points Donya makes her Magic Skill Roll by, dones 
not work against magically-created or -enhanced physical projectiles; +1/2); Extra 
Time (Full Phase, -1/2), Requires A Magic Skill Roll  (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), 
Incantations (-1/4)
8	2)  [b]Battle-Blessing:[/b]  +4 with HTH Combat; Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Magic 
Skill Roll  (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), END 2
5	3)  [b]Blade-Bane:[/b]  Armor (6 PD/6 ED); Gestures, Requires Gestures throughout 
(Requires both hands; must 'tie' spell to body; -1), Costs Endurance (-1/2), 
Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; must 'sing' spell onto self ; -1/2), 
Requires A Magic Skill Roll  (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to 
Activate, -1/4), END 2
15	4)  [b]Spark-Spray:[/b]  Sight Group Flash 6d6, Explosion (Cone; -1 DC/2"; +1/2); No 
Range (-1/2), Requires A Magic Skill Roll  (-1/2), Spell (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), 
Incantations (-1/4), END 4
23	5)  [b]Spirit-Blade:[/b]  Ranged (+1/2) for up to 75 Active Points of HKA, Reduced 
Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Lingering up to 1 Minute (+3/4); Gestures, Requires 
Gestures throughout (must 'wrap' spell around bladed weapon; -1/2), Incantations 
(Requires Incantations throughout; must 'sing' spell into weapon; -1/2), Requires A 
Magic Skill Roll  (-1/2), Spell (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to 
Activate, -1/4), END 3
4	6)  [b]Swift-Striking:[/b]  Lightning Reflexes: +6 DEX to act first with All Actions; Costs 
Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Magic Skill Roll  (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4), 
Gestures (-1/4), END 1
11	7)  [b]War-Dust:[/b]  Aid  HKA 5d6 (standard effect: 15 points), Delayed Return Rate 
(points return at the rate of 5 per 5 Minutes; +1/2); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-
Segment 12), Character May Take No Other Actions, time needed to apply the 
dust; -1 1/2), OAF Expendable (Difficult to obtain new Focus; steel dust ground from 
blades used in battle; -1 1/4), Gestures, Requires Gestures throughout (Requires 
both hands; must apply dust to length of weapon blade; -1), Incantations (Requires 
Incantations throughout; -1/2), Requires A Magic Skill Roll  (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2), 
Spell (-1/2), Only Adds To Bladed Weapon Damage (-1/4)

[b]Martial Arts:[/b]  [i]Shurkur-ka[/i]
[b]Maneuver	OCV	DCV	Damage[/b]
4	Bind	+1	+0	Bind, 28 STR
4	Block	+2	+2	Block, Abort
4	Counterstrike	+2	+2	Weapon +2 DC Strike, Must Follow Block
4	Cut	+2	+0	Weapon +2 DC Strike
4	Disarm	-1	+1	Disarm; 28 STR to Disarm roll
5	Slash	+1	-2	Weapon +4 DC Strike
5	Thrust	+1	+3	Weapon Strike
0	Weapon Element:  Blades

4	[b]Night Elf Swiftness:[/b]  Running +2" (8" total), END 1
2	[b]Eyes Of The Night Elf:[/b]  +1 PER with Sight Group
5	[b]Darkness Means Nothing To A Night Elf:[/b]  Nightvision
5	[b]Darkness Means Nothing To A Night Elf:[/b]  UV Perception (Sight Group)
1	[b]Adapted To The Underdark:[/b]  LS  (Extended Breathing: 1 END per Turn)
4	[b]Night Elf Lifespan:[/b]  LS  (Longevity: 1600 Years)

[b]Perks[/b]
5	Fringe Benefit:  Member of the Aristocracy/Higher Nobility
3	Money:  Well Off

[b]Talents[/b]
6	[b]Nimble:[/b]  Ambidexterity (-1 Off Hand penalty)
12	[b]Skilled Battle Mage:[/b]  Combat Spellcasting (all spells)
3	Lightsleep

[b]Skills[/b]
10	[b]Night Elf War-Skill:[/b]  +2 with HTH Combat
6	[b]Master Of The Shurkur:[/b]  +2 with Martial Maneuvers

3	Analyze:  Magic 13-
3	Climbing 13-
3	Concealment 13-
3	Conversation 13-
3	Cryptography 13-
5	Defense Maneuver I-II 
3	High Society 13-
5	Language:  High Elf (idiomatic; literate)
3	Language:  Most Common Human Tongue (completely fluent)
1	Language:  Night Elf (idiomatic; literate)
17	Warrior-Magery:  Power:  Magic 20-
5	Rapid Attack (HTH) 
3	Riding 13-
3	Shadowing 13-
3	Spell Research 13-
3	Stealth 13-
2	Survival (Underground) 13-
7	Tactics 15-
4	WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons
3	Scholar
2	1)  KS: Arcane and Occult Lore 13-
1	2)  KS: Heraldry 11-
2	3)  KS: Legends and Lore 13-
2	4)  KS: The Mystic World 13-
2	5)  KS: Warrior-Magery 13-

[b]Total Powers & Skill Cost:  259
Total Cost:  365

75+	Disadvantages[/b]
5	Distinctive Features:  Sorceress (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable;
Detectable Only By Unusual Senses [Deteect Magic])
10	Distinctive Features:  Style (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable 
By Large Group)
10	Hunted:  Other Noble Houses 11- (As Pow, NCI, Watching)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Racial Arrogance (Night Elves are superior) (Common, 
Strong)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Loyal To House Fuluvo (Common, Strong)
5	Rivalry:  Professional (other warrior-mages of other houses), Rival is As Powerful, 
Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Aware of Rivalry
15	Social Limitation:  Subject To Household Orders (Frequently, Major)
215	Experience Points

[b]Total Disadvantage Points:  365

Equipment
Weapon	OCV	RMod	DMG	STUN	STR	Notes
Shurkur[/b]
 Long Blade	+0	--	1 1/2d6	0	15	L, 2 Handed
 Short Blade	+0	--	1d6	0	15	L, 2 Handed

[b]Armor
Name	DEF	Location	Notes[/b]
"Bodice"	3	10-13	Leather, Front Only
Pauldrons	4	8	Leather
Sleeves	1	7	Cloth
Leggings/Boots	2	14-18	Leather, Activation of 11- or Location 14

 

Background/History: It’s unknown how long ago the Night Elves left the realm of the sunlit upper reaches and retreated into the secretive darkness the Underworld, but the general animosity between the elves of the dark and the elves of the light continues even to this day. To hear the Light Elves tell it (a rare occurrence indeed), the divide came as a result of the first meetings with humanity. The faction of Light wanted to meet them peacefully, in a manner that would allow both to co-exist, while those of Night wanted meet them with force. Unwilling to come to blows over the matter, the Night Elves exiled themselves, finally making their home in the dark reaches of the Underworld, away from their brother elves and the invading tribes of men.

 

The Night Elves, on the other hand, tell a slightly different story. They felt that instead of meeting men with open arms, they should rebuff them and drive them way. The elves of the night felt it wasn’t possible to co-exist with violent and barbaric man and still maintain the integrity of the Elvish way of life. When the Light Elves foolishly disregarded this advice, the Night Elves decided to found a new kingdom, one devoted to maintaining the purity of the elvish race, as well as its morality and philosophy

 

In the centuries that followed, neither side would admit the other might have been right. The Light Elves met with men, lived with them, even, from time to time, loved them. In turn, both prospered and grew, but the men more so then the Light Elves, who were often displaced from their ancestral lands. The Night Elves on the other hand, maintained the old ways, continued to live as they had before man arrived, and warily watched the (sometimes violent) spread of man throughout the land. However, in some ways they have stagnated as a culture and their insular ways have inhibited new developments.

 

Recently, however, the Night Elves have begun to take a greater interested in the outside world. Although isolationist, they are not so xenophobic as to totally dismiss the happenings of the upper world. The various great houses of the Night Elves have yet to come to a consensus as to what should be done, and are divided between peaceful reconciliation with their brothers of the Light, outright military conquest and subjugation of man, opening up certain points on the border to trade, or some combination thereof. But no matter what is decided, one thing is sure, the Night Elves will need individuals capable of meeting whatever threats the upper world may bring.

 

Donya is one such individual. Specifically she’s a warrior-mage, skilled in the art of the blade and the spell, and one of the Night Elves’ greatest assets when dealing with threats from the Underworld and beyond. A scion of House Fuluvo, she has dedicated herself defending her House, her land, and her race from all threats, both internal and from without (especially from without).

 

Trained since a young age in the warrior’s way, Donya’s skill with the Shurkur (a duel-bladed sword unique ot the Night Elves) is well-known and almost matched by her talent in the arcane arts of Warrior-Magery. A capable commander, she’s one of House Fuluvo’s War Leaders, and has earned renown for her House in various campaigns against Underworld foes. But now comes her toughest test -- venturing back into the world of the Light....

 

Personality/Motivation: Donya, like most Night Elves, probably doesn't like you. It’s not that she actively hates anyone, but more like she doesn’t see the need to be open and friendly with the “lesser” races (i.e. non-elves). She tolerates (and can even be civil) to elves of the Light, but prefers the company of her fellow Night Elves. Of course, considering the isolationist nature of the Night Elves, such behavior is only to be expected, while the Night Elves’ skill with sorcery and the like almost makes said attitude understandable. Donya’s attitude might change with time and exposure, mainly depending on where she goes, who she meets, and how they treat her, but it’s a safe bet it will be a very long time before she stops unfavorably comparing anything and everything she encounters with how much better the Night Elves do it.

 

Quote: “As War Leader of House Fuluvo I will not be spoken to in such a familiar and base manner. Apologize properly before I am forced to demonstrate my skill with the shurkur. A demonstration I am sure you will regret. ”

 

Powers/Tactics: A canny warrior, Donya prefers to analyze a situation before attacking. If given the chance she will prepare and cast several of her Warrior-Mage spells, starting with Blade-Bane, then Swift-Striking, and finally Battle-Blessing. If in a fortified or secure position, she may forego Swift-Strike and opt to use Spirit-Blade instead. She will prepare her Shurkur with War-Dust if there is sufficient time, and will cast Arrow-Bane at the opening of a battle, when the chances of being targeted by enemy archers is greatest. Spark-Spray is usually used to blind small units of enemy troops, thus allowing Donya to close and use her Shurkur to good effect.

 

The Shurkur is a weapon unique to the Night Elves. It consists of two blades, one roughly four to five feet long, with another two and a half feet long. The blades are joined hilt to hilt and wielded from a point roughly two-thirds down it's total length. Thus, when held in two hands, the Shurkur (the word means "long and short") projects one long blade up past the user's head, while the second extends downwards and serves to defend the fighter's legs. Using the Shurkur in battle is tricky, and takes more than a little skill. Normally, the weapon is held at an angle, across the body, and used to deliver sweeping figure-eight blows, short thrusts, and downward cuts that start from up over the head. The swirling shape of the guard helps in trapping weapons, and it is a common tactic for a Shurkur user to Block, Disarm, or Block, Bind, and then Disarm, especially if working in pairs.

 

Donya, like many Shurkur wielders, will usually Block first, but she prefers to followup with a Counterstrike and then a Thrust (often with the shorter blade). She will use a Slash on those blinded by Spark-Spray or will Sweep a Cut if she thinks she can get away with it. If hard pressed she’ll put here levels into DCV and fight defensively, using a mixture of Blocks, Counterstrikes, and Thrusts.

 

Appearance: Tall and shapely, Donya's curvaceous build belies her impressive degree of physical strength. Her features are typical for a night elf: blue-gray skin, silver-gray eyes, snow-white hair, and long tapering ears. As a warrior-mage she tends to dress in flamboyant and ornate outfits that only passingly resemble armor. As befitting her rank, Donya's gear tends to be creatively cut and heavily inlaid with scrollwork, knotwork, precious metals, and even gems. Her Shurkur, on the other hand, is a rather plain-looking weapon, well-cared for, but has obviously seen a lot of use.

 

Designer's Notes: The statute that inspired Donya is actually a Lineage II night elf. Lineage II is rather (in)famous for the clothing (or lack their of) worn by female night elves -- Donya’s outfit is actually rather conservative. In any case, you could use her to introduce your players to the Night Elves and their xenophobic outlook on the world. While certainly not the PC’s friend, she can be their ally, especially against a greater threat. Perhaps the PCs might even be able to impress Donya with their courage and valor, and help dispel certain Night Elf notions of humans as brutish, uncivilized thugs.

 

To power down Donya, reduce her Characteristics as needed, remove her Combat Spellcasting, and reduce her Combat Skill Levels. To make her more powerful, up her DEX and CON, give her two Damage Classes with Shurkur-ka, and increase her Combat Skill Levels as desired.

[The Main Man]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

This makes a nice addition to your character adaptation guide.

 

I would rep you, but we all know the drill.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

This was part of my submission to Haymaker! along with my character adaptation guide.

 

There was a third part, dealing with "Building to Concept" but it was far less shorter and not as well developed.

[The Main Man]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Where can I find this "Haymaker" that you speak of?

 

And please do work on the "Building to Concept" article as well.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Haymaker is an APA that's by invitation only. It comes out 4 times a year and the requirement is 4 pages of Hero Stuff. A number of Board notables are part of it.

[The Main Man]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Oh.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

And please do work on the "Building to Concept" article as well.

 

BUILD TO CONCEPT

 

Recently, the idea of “build to concept” has been bandied about in our gaming group. It means the Player is allowed to build his character any way he wants, to any power level he wants, as long as it fits the concept for the character he has in mind and works as part of the setting the GM has presented. Obviously, this requires a certain degree of trust and understanding between the Players and the GM, and isn’t for everyone.

 

Ross Watson went with the “build to concept” idea for Shadows Angelus II, ending up with a cast of PCs that ranged from 350 to about 850 points. It has worked out fairly well, with no one PC dominating the action, and each character having a fairly well-defined niche.

 

One thing that makes “build to concept” a viable option for Shadows Angelus II is the nature of the setting. There’s a fairly specific set of character options, which automatically weeds out certain concepts. For example, you couldn’t play a god (so no Thor-clones, but you could play a free nature spirit), you can’t play an alien, or a time-traveller (I think...), a self-aware robot, or a comic book “mutant” (if you want to do that, be an esper). Still, there are a lot of options to choose from.

 

My character submissions for this section illustrates (I hope) the advantage of “build to concept.” I first present Chrysine the Clade, an ex-Lace and Steel fighter, my PC from Shadows Angelus II. I then follow that up with Miyako Benedict, an XSWAT officer so dedicated that not even death could stop her from carrying out her duties. Although she was rejected as a back-up PC (for various reasons), Ross decided she made a great “urban legend,” as the mythical ghost cop who supposedly haunts the streets of Angelus and occasionally rescues officers in trouble.

 

Following Chrysine and Miyako’s character sheets, I’ve also included a series of capsule descriptions of different XSWAT officers, showing the breadth of character concepts and possibilities. None of these are fully-fledged characters (yet), but easily could be (and might be in latter issues of Haymaker!).

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

If you want, I could post Chrysine and Miyako. Miyako comes with a really long origin story that is rated R for language. So I might have to point you to my website for that.

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

As usual, very nice work! Incoming rep!

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Haymaker is an APA that's by invitation only. It comes out 4 times a year and the requirement is 4 pages of Hero Stuff. A number of Board notables are part of it.

 

Ok, dumb question time...

 

What's an APA?

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Ok, dumb question time...

 

What's an APA?

 

Amateur Press Association?

[mvoncannon]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Reppage.

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Reppage.

 

Thanks.

 

As I said, if people are interested, I'll post the rest of my last Haymaker! Article.

[lemming]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

Thanks.

 

As I said, if people are interested, I'll post the rest of m last Haymaker! Article.

 

We're interested!

[Susano]

Re: Susano's Eight Steps To Character Building

 

I'll try and get to it Wednesday.