Character Creation
This game will use BESM 2nd Edition. The setting is a fantasy realm with medieval technology. Characters will have exceptional abilities relative to the average person in the setting and are built with 45 points. All characters should be human, but if you have an exceptional reason for playing something else, give me a try. Below I have listed all the attributes one can take along with their costs per level (in italics if different from the book) and any comments. Moreover, I will also indicate whether the ability seems to indicate divine, demonic, goblin, or spiritual influence. (Of course, the ability may simply be an innate talent having nothing to do with this influence. Still, this is what people will assume.) If you are known for an ability that people will assume is demonic, you will need to explain why you were hired for the quest despite this.
Normal Attributes
All costs are per level.
- Animal friendship - 1 - This is just a natural empathy with animals. Familiars would be covered under Servants. - Might indicate spiritual influence at high levels
- Appearance - 1
- Art of distraction - 1 - Could be caused by any of a number of influences depending on the nature of the distraction
- Aura of command - 1 - Might indicate either divine or spiritual influence at high levels
- Combat mastery - 2
- Damn healthy - 1 - High levels of this might cause suspicion of demonic or divine influence, depending on how the character is perceived.
- Divine relationship - 1 - Divine influence if it gets noticed
- Energy bonus - 1 - Divine influence at high levels
- Extra attacks - 4
- Flunkies - 1 - These are just hangars on. Familiars and skilled labor/fighters would be covered under Servants.
- Focused damage - 1 - Might indicate either divine or demonic influence at high levels
- Gun bunny - 1 - This would be in regard to bows and thrown weapons
- Heightened awareness - 1
- Highly skilled - 1
- Kensei - 1 - Could be applied to any weapon or simply unarmed combat
- Massive damage - 2 - Might indicate demonic influence at high levels
- Mechanical genius - 2 - This also covers para-technology such as golems and other devices. People who read (and believe) the old tales might think this implies goblin influence.
- Organizational ties - 1 to 3
- Personal gear - 1 - A horse is a major item
Normal Defects
All of these give you either 1 or 2 points.
- Ageism - This will apply to very young characters who will not be taken as seriously by adults. Someone who wishes to play a very old character should simply take fewer points in their physical attributes or other defects to indicate age related maladeys.
- Attack Restriction
- Awkward
- Easily distracted
- Girl/Guy/Other Magnet
- Inept combat
- Marked - A 1 point mark would simply be an irregularity, possibly indicating elven influence. Two points would almost certainly be construed as demonic.
- Nemesis
- Not so fast
- Not so strong
- Not so tough
- One are/no arms
- Owned by a merchant house/guild/nobility/etc. - You will need a reason your owners want you to undertake the given quest.
- Physically unappealing
- Phobia
- Recurring nightmares
- Red tape - Probably needs to be combined with the Owned defect
- Sensory impairment
- Significant other
- Skeleton in the closet
- Special requirement
- Unskilled
- Wanted - If you want this defect, you should include the reasons why you are being hired despite this status.
Special Attributes
As before, points are given per level. Some of these have been disallowed for characters as inappropriate for the setting. Sometimes this will be obvious. At other times, you will simply need to wonder why. It may be possible for items of power or spells to grant characters this power. Other items might be allowed to the character but more reasonable to have as an item. For example, light armor would be better taken as a minor item. If taken as a character advantage, it would represent tough skin. If you really have your heart set on a disallowed ability, try to give me a reason to keep it, but there is a good likelihood it will still be vetoed.
- Astral Projection - Disallowed for anything You may instead take astral perception which will allow you to see and hear spirits for 3 points.
- Contamination - 1 to 2 - Possible, but you will need a pretty amazing explanation for this and I may still overrule.
- Dimensional portal - Disallowed for anything
- Dynamic sorcery - 4 - A rare, but highly valued ability. In Bashan, this is seen as very strong divine influence. In others, this is less so, but the person able to do this is still considered quite fortunate.
- Elasticity - Disallowed for characters
- Electronic Countermeasures - 1 - This effects scrying, sixth sense abilities, and makes it difficult for spirits to see you. In the latter case, level 1 would indicate the spirit would need to be within 50 feet to have a chance of noticing you and at level 6 the spirit would need to be touching you to have a chance a perceiving your presence.
- Environmental control - 1 to 2 - A rare ability, this would be seen as divine influence. (Which divinity would be dependent on the nature of the power.)
- Exorcism - 1 - Actually 2 separate skills: one for demons, and one for goblins and elves. (For some reason, the latter two have enough overlap that learning one helps in learning the other.) In the cases of demons, the exorcism weakens the demon making it more vulnerable to attack and probably driving it off. In the most extreme cases, the demon may be stunned into unconsciousness. For goblins and elves, this repels the creatures from an area.
- Extra arms - 1 - Demon influence. Definitely.
- Features or accessories - 1 - Completely variable. These may represent simple cantrips or natural talents.
- Flight - 3 to 4 - Divine or demonic influence. This is exceptionally rare as a natural ability, but a bit more common as a spell.
- Force field - 2 to 4 - Divine influence
- Ground speed - Disallowed for characters, but see Speed
- Healing - 4 - Divine influence. Definitely.
- Heavy armor - 4 - A character with this will look like a demon. No questions.
- Heightened senses - 1
- Illusion - 2 to 6 - Another rare ability. This will be strongly associated with spirit influences.
- Insubstantial - Disallowed for characters.
- Invisibility - 3 to 7 - Strongly associated with spirit influence
- Item of power - 2 - A good way to get that disallowed ability.
- Jumping - 1
- Life support - 1
- Light armor - 1 - Probably demonic influence at higher levels.
- Magic - 4 - As with dynamic sorcery.
- Meld - 2 - This will require a really good background to explain
- Metamorphosis - 5 - There are shape shifting humans in the world. They are quite rare, though. Debates range as to whether they are blessed or cursed.
- Mind control - 1 to 4 - Definite spiritual influence (assuming anyone figures it out).
- Mind shield - 1 - Spiritual influence
- Natural weapons - 1 - This will probably be construed as demonic influence
- Own a big mech - 4 - This is how you get a golem (or, alternatively, a large trained animal like an elephant). You can take any mech attributes except Summonable and Super Transformation. You may not take the Crew requirement special defect.
- Place of power - 1 - Discouraged since the game will involve a lot of traveling
- Precognition - 1 to 2 - Divine influence
- Regeneration - 4 - Demonic influence
- Reincarnation - 3 - You would need a really good reason for this
- Sensors - 1 - Some extra sense. Depending on its nature it may be divine, spiritual, or even goblin (low light)
- Servant - 1 to 2 - This is how you would have a familiar or skilled helpers. A replenishable servant who could be summoned would also be appropriate for calling elementals.
- Shape change - 2 to 3 - This would most likely seen as spiritual influence since it is rumored to happen near the eastern woods.
- Shield - 1 - Probably more reasonable to get as a minor item. As a part of the character, it would probably be seen as demonic influence.
- Sixth sense - 1 - Probably divine, but it could be spiritual or even goblin.
- Size change - 1 to 2 - Spiritual for the same reasons as Shape Change
- Space flight - Disallowed for anything
- Special defense - 1 - Could be divine, but fire and cold resistance are known properties of demons...
- Special movement - 1
- Speed - 1 - Divine influence
- Spirit ward - 1 - As with exorcism, there are 2 kinds: one for demons and one for goblins and spirits. (Again, there are slight differences between goblin and spirit wards, but they are close enough that one generally learns both.)
- Star flight - Disallowed for anything
- Stealth - 1
- Super strength - 2 to 3 - This will probably be seen as proof of divine or demonic influence, depending on the viewer's attitude toward the character
- Swarm - Disallowed for characters
- Telekinesis - 1 to 2 - Probable spiritual influence
- Telepathy - 1 to 3 - Probable spiritual influence (despite the fact that spirits do not have this ability)
- Teleport - Disallowed for anything
- Transmutation - 1 to 4 - Probable divine influence
- Tunneling - 2 - Goblin influence
- Water speed - 2 to 3 - Divine influence from Nolen
- Weapon attack - 4
Special Defects
All of these give you either 1 or 2 points except where noted.
- Awkward size - 1 to 6 points - Even 1 level would be seen as proof of demonic influence.
- Bane - May be demonic influence, but probably just some sort of curse
- Cannot talk
- Conditional ownership
- Cursed
- Diminutive - 3 or 6 points - A human this small would be assumed to be a goblin.
- Hangar queen - As a character, this would mean you needed to recharge your powers often.
- Involuntary physical change
- Magical restrictions
- One way transformation
- Restricted ground movements - Discouraged, but possible
- Restricted path - Discouraged
- Volatile - You will need to explain this if you want it
- Vulnerability
Skills
For skills, use the Medieval Fantasy costs. You may take heavy weapons at a cost of 4, representing ballistas, catapults, and other siege weapons.
Background
Provide a brief background for your character. Things to include are where your character was raised, their family, and their current line of work. Some specific things that you should explain:
- How your character acquired their abilities (if they know), when they first became aware of them, and how have they been put to use.
- How would the character have come to the attention of the organizers of this expedition and why would they wish to contact the character? (The character/player may have no clue to either of these questions, of course.)
- Why your character is willing to go on the quest.
The Quest
Some acts of sabotage have recently been reported in one of the coastal mining towns in the north. Specifically, one mining crew has disappeared and two ships were burned in the harbor. Two envoys were dispatched from separate merchant houses but failed to find anything, although one did report, somewhat out of character for him, that there was a definite unease about the town. Immediately after this report, a convoy from the West shield mountain range was attacked and slaughtered with no survivors just north of the town. Given that such convoys regularly carry skilled fighters to defend against rogue demons, this completeness of the slaughter is quite surprising. You have been hired to investigate the aforementioned disturbances and determine the cause, terminally if possible.
Possible reasons for joining include:
- You are a Gos of the clan of one of the convoy people who was killed and have a family interest in justice.
- You serve a merchant house that is investigating the attacks on their holdings, particularly the possibility that another merchant house is behind it
- You are associated with a royal house and want to ensure order is kept in the mining towns
- You are affiliate with the church (Skae, Hirati, or even Bashani) and are investigating the possibility of a new demonic plot
- The price is right