Hey there! Welcome to my second test run of the Valiant Universe Roleplaying Game. The first time out, I used Nasty from Subject 13 and found that the game models her with no problems at all. This time around, I want to try a higher power level of character. For this, I shall use Ringette.
Last time I did a test run, it was for the older RPG, Superbabes, using Ringette as the sample character. Ringette is a superhero, with a far broader range of powers than Nasty. The use of her here is to show the contrast between Superbabes and Valiant Universe in their approaches. Superbabes was a point-buy system that took a few hours to complete. By using Ringette again, I already have a good idea of her abilities and powers. After the break, I'll go through the same steps as I did before.
Step 1 - Create a Character Theme and Character Name
Done already. Carly Nordstrom, aka Ringette, from Minnesota, received her powers after an explosion in her lab. Her costume is designed, as seen below. Ringette's powers are fire based and include flight, throwing rings of fire, and creating shields of flame to defend herself. All I need, really, are her tags and those are optional. Still, to be complete, I'll add chemist, driven, accident, and flame.
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| Ringette, again. Source. |
RingetteStep 2 - Assign Stat Dice
Vital Factors
Name: Carly Nordstrom
Title: --
Affiliation: --
Character Level: Super
Event Points:
Tags: chemist * driven * accident * flame
History: The result of an lab explosion, Carly took the mantle of Ringette when she discovered her ability to project flames.
Personality: Driven
I have four dice, a d6, two d8s, and a d10, to assign to the four stats, Might, Intellect, Charisma, and Action. Based on what I did with Ringette for Superbabes, I assign the dice as follows:
Might: d6Ringette isn't unusually strong. Her drive and her intellect are above average, but the explosion gave her quicker reflexes, thus the d10 in Action. I chose the number 5 for her Luck.
Intellect: d8
Charisma: d8
Action: d10
Luck: 5
I also now determine Ringette's health, which is based on her Might rating. With a d6 Might, Ringette has to mark off two pips from Health on the character sheet. The result will be shown in Step 4, along with armour. Ringette may not stay in a fight for long once damage starts getting applied to her Health, but she isn't meant to go toe-to-toe in a fight.
Step 3 - Create Powers
As mentioned above, Ringette has three general abilities - throwing rings of fire, flying, and creation shields of flame. In Superbabes, I couldn't create a power that allowed Ringette to ensnare opponents with her fire rings. With Valiant Universe, I don't need to. Before I get further into that, let's get the mechanics out of the way. At the Super level, I have 45 points to spend on up to three powers. Costs are based on the cost of the die type times the cost of the power type.
Ringette's first power will be the Rings of Fire. Because the Cue System, Valiant Universe's core mechanic, runs on narrative, I don't need to say whether the Rings can damage or encircle. The special effect, as shown in Ringette's picture above, allows me that versatility, limited by the GM and other players. I choose the d10 as the power's die type and Keep Both as the power type. What this means is that when Ringette uses the Rings of Fire, she gets to roll both a stat die, usually the Action die, and the power's d10 and add them together. The cost is 15 points, the total amount that Nasty, created using the Sidekick power level, had total.
The next power to be created is Shield of Flames. This power is more defensive in nature, though there's nothing that says I can't use the Shield to bash someone up close. Again, the system works through narrative. Powers are far looser and don't need to be actual superpowers. There is no list of powers with specific rules. Shield of Flames can be used offensively and Rings of Fire can be used defensively. Still, I need to stat out the power. I choose the d8 for the die type and Add+3 for the power type, for a total cost of 16 points. Ringette replaces her stat die for the power die, but gets to add three to the roll.
Finally, Ringette's flight needs to be worked out. Fire Flight, since I feel that powers should get some description in their names, will use the d10 for die type and Discard Lowest for the power type. When Ringette rolls to use her flight, she gets to roll both her stat die and the power die, but only takes the better result of the two. The cost is 10 points, leaving Ringette with four left over, which I can turn into 2 Event Points, the game's version of experience.
PowersStep 4 - Assign Armour
Rings of Fire: d10, Keep Both (Weapon)
Shields of Flame: d8, Add+3, reduces damage taken by 1 point.
Fire Flight: d10, Discard Lowest
Armour is determined by adding the die types of Might and Action. Ringette thus gets 16 points of armour. The armour gets called Flame Shields, but the descriptor doesn't affect the values. It's just a way to explain why an attack didn't get through completely. Whatever it's called, be it Flame Shields, Sheer Cussedness, or even Tax Evasion, armour must be fully damaged before anything gets through to Health.
Armour HealthStep 5 - Select Weapons
O O O O O O O
O O O O X O O X: -1 to Might
O O O O X O O X: -1 to Might & Action
O O O O X X Staggered
X Knocked Out
(Flame
Shields)
Every character can have up to two weapons, which can be anything from fists to machine guns to energy swords to psychic burrowing. Easiest method to choosing a weapon is to find something similar on an existing character sheet. Fists do one or two points, depending on Might. With Ringette, her first weapon is the Rings of Fire. The write-up for Alyssa Miles shows her Cold Flame as doing three points of damage and usable at Close and Near ranges and with a -2 penalty at Far, about the same as a pistol in the game. Ringette's second weapon is a firey fly-by. For this "weapon", I'll use a d4 instead of a set number for damage. Allowable ranges I set to Close, with no penalty, and Near, with a -2 penalty.
Weapons Damage RangeStep 6 - Select Equipment
Close Near Far
Rings of Fire 3 OK OK -2
Flaming Fly-by d4 OK -2 --
Every character created in Valiant Universe gets some gear. Again, there's no list of items, no rules for rebreathers and communicators. Equipment is reflective of the character and can be used as a prop for any action. With Ringette, I need gear that reflects who she is. First piece is a lab book. She's a scientist trying to work out what she can and cannot do. A lab book is ideal, especially if it's flame resistant in some manner. Next, a smartphone, with decent Internet access, for when she needs to find out the flashpoint of a substance. A look at her picture reminds me she wears goggles, so why not?
EquipmentStep 7 - Create Cues and Action Cues
Lab Book Smartphone Goggles
Step 8 - Create Dispositions
I will be skipping these steps. I don't quite have a full handle on Ringette's personality yet to come up with her cues and disposition. It usually takes me a few gaming sessions to figure out a character's personality; something has to stand out before I get the character. This is a major difference between Valiant Universe and other RPGs. The cues are something a player can fall back on when wondering what to do. In my case, the GM usually just leaves a shiny red button to be pressed.
Step 9 - Final Tweaking
There's nothing I want to change here. Ringette looks right as she is now. And that's it. Ringette is created in less time without losing any of the concept.
The full sheet is below. If you use her, please let me know. If you have ideas for her cues, action cues, or disposition, please leave me a comment.
Ringette
Vital Factors
Name: Carly Nordstrom
Title: --
Affiliation: --
Character Level: Super
Event Points: 2
Tags: chemist * driven * accident * flame
History: The result of an lab explosion, Carly took the mantle of Ringette when she discovered her ability to project flames.
Personality: Driven
Might: d6
Intellect: d8
Charisma: d8
Action: d10
Luck: 5
Powers
Rings of Fire: d10, Keep Both (Weapon)
Shields of Flame: d8, Add+3, reduces damage taken by 1 point.
Fire Flight: d10, Discard Lowest
Cues
Action Cues
Disposition
Armour Health
O O O O O O O
O O O O X O O X: -1 to Might
O O O O X O O X: -1 to Might & Action
O O O O X X Staggered
X Knocked Out
(Flame
Shields)
Weapons Damage Range
Close Near Far
Rings of Fire 3 OK OK -2
Flaming Fly-by d4 OK -2 --
Equipment
Lab Book Smartphone Goggles
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