Test Run - Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game

 Arise from the dead, blog!  Arise!

Again, it's been a while.  I don't have any serials prepped for posting, so it's been quiet.  However, I've been able to buy a couple of new RPGs.  I want to test out Sentinel Comics the Roleplaying Game from Greater Than Games.  To do so, instead of creating Nasty from Subject 13, I'll use a different character, one who is not under-powered.  I'll be using Ringette, who I've created using Superbabes and the Valiant Universe Roleplaying Game.

Remember her?  It has been six years.

Sentinel Comics is adapted from Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative fixed deck card game where each player takes on the role of a superhero, saving the day against villains foul.  The RPG comes in four colours, is split into logical sections, with an intro with the mechanics that includes examples, character creation, a GM section, and a campaign section for the Sentinels setting.  I ordered directly from the company and got a bonus.

Jewel loves the box I ordered for her.  (photo by author)

This is going to get long, so things will continue after the break.

Going back to Ringette's concept, based on the pic above and the previous times out, she is a chemist who had an accident in her lab, resulting in her having the ability to throw rings of fire, raise a fire shield, and fly.  Fairly straightforward, should not be difficult for superhero systems to model.  Sentinels has an eight-step process, which I will use.

1) Background

Background is what the character did before being a hero.  In Ringette`s case, Carly Nordstrom was a chemist working in a lab.  The best fit, and it is a great fit, is Academic.  Carly gets two dice, a d12 and a d8 to choose from Leadership, Self-Discipline, or a selection from the Information qualities.  She chooses Science at d12 and Self-Discpline at d8.  She then chooses an Expertise principle, taking Principle of the Lab, giving her access to a dedicated lab.  Carly also gets a d10 and a d8 for power source selection.

2) Power Source

Power source is what changed a character into having powers.  Ringette is the result of a lab accident.  Turns out, there is an Accident power source.  Carly has two dice, so can only choose two of Athletic, Elemental/Energy, Intellectual, Materials, Psychic, and Self-Control powers category.  Carly will put the d10 from Background into Energy/Fire.  The d8 is tougher, but Carly will take Deduction from the Intellectual category.  She then gets two Yellow abilities and one Green.  For the Yellow, Carly takes Inflict, using her Fire power and Reflexive Burst, using her Deduction.  For the Green, she takes Immunity, choosing Fire as the element to not take damage from.  Finally, Carly gets a d12 amd a d6 for archetype selection.

3) Archetype

Archetype is the how the powers manifest.  In general in comics, you can have such types as Bricks (the Thing), Speedsters (Quicksilver and the Flash), and Gadgeteers (Batman, Hank Pym when he was with the West Coast Avengers).  Looking over the list of archetypes available in *Sentinel*, the best fit is Blaster, and it is a good fit for Ringette.  First thing is that Carly can assign one of the dice from the power source section to her Energy power.  Since she has a d10 in Fire already, she swaps it out for the d12 from step 2.  She now has a d10 and a d6 to deal with by choosing one from Signature Weaponry, Elemental/Energy, Mobility, and Technology and one from either the Mental or the Physical qualities.  The d10 will go into Mobility, choosing Flight as the power.  The d6 gets assigned to Investigation, reflecting more of Carly's chemist background.

Carly now gets two Green abilities and two Yellow.  In both cases, the choices have to use different powers.  For the Green, Carly takes Precise Hit, using her Fire power, and Danger Zone, using Mobility.  With Yellow, she takes Imbue with Element, using her Fire power, and Heedless Blast, using Mobility.  I see Heedless Blast in Carly's case as her flying full throttle into her opponent.  She also gets an Esoteric principle and takes Principle of Fire.  Finally, she gets two d10s for personality selection.

4) Personality

Personality is general, not specific, a broad brush.  With the Valiant test, I used driven to describe Carly.  The closest, and I think I prefer the description more, is Stalwart.  She gets a quality based on her backstory, so Renowned Chemist is a d8.  Her Out ability, used when she is out of health, is "Defend an ally by rolling your single Fire die."  Carly also gets two Red abilities, and sets her Status die to d8 for each of Green, Yellow, and Red.  Carly is steady no matter what is thrown at her.

5) Red Abilities

Red abilities are powers that come out when the chips are down and it's do-or-die.  She takes Eruption, using her Fire power, and Give Time, using her Deduction.  When she is pressed, Carly will sacrifice herself.

6) Retcon

Retcon allows for a change to adjust a character to fit the player's concept better.  Right now, though, Ringette is looking good.  I don't see an need to swap dice within powers or qualities, to change a power or quality, add a power, or increase Ringette's Red status die.  Last option is to add a Red ability.  Carly will take Take Down, using her Flight.

7) Health

Health is based on adding up the maximum value of Carly's Red status die (8), the maximum value of her best Mental quality or Athletic power (8, from Self-Discipline), plus the base 8 plus either the roll of a d8 or 4 (I'll take the latter).  The total is 28.  Ringette is in the Green when her health is 28-22, Yellow when health is 21-11, and Red when health is 10-1.  Once health reaches 0, Ringette is Out, though that doesn't mean dead.

8) Finishing Touches

Technically, I went through these before starting, giving Ringette a name, a secret ID, creating a costume using the pic.  There's a few more details, but I'll work them out in the character sheet below.

Ringette

Alias: Carly Nordstrom

Physical Attributes

  Gender: Female

  Age: Late-20s

  Height: 5'8"/

  Eyes: Hazel       Hair: Red       Skin: Caucasian

  Build: Athletic

  Costume/Equipment: See pic above.  Ringette wears protective glasses to help hide her identity and keep her eyes safe while flying.  While in the lab, Carly keeps her hair tied back, but as Ringette lets her hair down.

Characteristics

  Background: Academic

  Power Source: Accident

  Archetype:  Blaster

  Personality:  Stalwart

Principle of the Lab

  During Roleplaying: You have nearly unlimited accesss to a dedicated research area and are at home there.

  Minor Twist: What did you make a detour to observe and sample for later experiments?

  Major Twist: Something's gone very wrong at the lab; what was it?

Principle of Fire

  During Roleplaying: You have an affinity to or a love of Fire.  You can interact with fire with ease.

  Minor Twist: What other element/energy is causing yours to go on the fritz?

  Major Twist: What source of energy/element is dampening all your powers?

Powers

  Deduction d8

  Fire d12

  Flight d10

Qualities

  Investigation d6

  Renowned Chemist d8

  Self-Discipline d8

  Science d12

Status Dice Health Range

  Green: d8 28-22

  Yellow: d8 21-11

  Red: d8         10-1

Current Health: 28

Abilities

Green

  Danger Zone (A) - Attack multiple targets using Flight.  Use your Min die against each.

  Immunity (I) - You do not take any damage from fire.

  Precise Hit (A) - Attack using Fire.  Ignore all penalties on this attack, ignore any defend actions, and it cannot be affected by reactions.

  Principle of Fire (A) - Overcome a challenge involving fire and use your Max die.  You and each of your allies gain a hero point.

  Principle of the Lab (A) - Overcome while in a familiar workplace or when you have ample research time.  Use your Max die.  You and each of your allies gain a hero point.

Yellow

  Heedless Blast (A) - Attack multiple targets using Flight.  Use your Mid die against each target.  Take irreducible damage equire to your Mid die.

  Imbue With Fire - Attack using Fire.  Use your Max die.  If you choose another hero to go next, boost that hero using your Mid die.

  Inflict (A) - Attack using Fire.  Hinder that same targer using your Min die.

  Reflexive Burst (R) - When your personal zone changes, attacl all close enemy targets by rolling your single Deduction die.

Red

  Eruption (A) - Attach up to three targets, one of which must be you, using Fire.  Assign your Min, Mid, and Max dice as you choose among those targets.

  Give Time (A) - Boost another hero using Deduction.  If that hero has already acted for the turn, use your Max die and that hero loses Health equal to your Min die.  That hero acts next in the turn order.

  Take Down (A) - Attack using Flight.  Use your Max die.  Then, hinder that target using your Min+Mid dice.

Out

  Defend an ally by rolling your single Fire die.

All things considered, Ringette fits with her previous incarnations.  She's more of a powerhouse here given the escalation from Green through Yellow to Red.  I could rename some of the abilities to better reflect Ringette, such as changing Heedless Blast to Headlong Rush.  No change in the mechanics, but the names will reflect what it is she's doing.

As always, feel free to use this character in your own game, but please let me know how it goes.

Friday, Lost in Translation continues at Psycho Drive-In.

Saturday, Lost in Translation can be found at The Seventh Sanctum.