The Character Generation Thread · Page 6

Carmex is Lip Balm, and a Death Note is a notebook from a comic series that says, "Anyone human who's name is written in this note shall die."

Sorry, not getting the latter. What I'm getting is that it is a notebook that says, either on the cover or printed on each page, "Anyone human whose name is written in this note shall die." It is connected with a comic book series of some sort, but is not a comic book itself. Is that correct? Roughly how many pages does it have, and where is the phrase printed?

--M. J. Young

Yes! It is not a comic book itself, but indeed tied to the story. The phrase is written on the first page of rules. The rules take up the first 13 pages and are filled with rules and guidelines, and the notebook itself has 100 pages to write on but 4 pages have 7 peoples names, causes of death, and the details of them written down.

I'm still entirely confused, but I suppose whenever you use it we'll make sense of it.

--M. J. Young

Oops--my oversight. Here is the complete sheet, as I have it; make any comments or notes for anything I missed or you think ought to be different:

Name Van-Eric Johnson
a.k.a. Van (commonly used name)
Eric (friends from middle school)
Enzan (random nickname and B-Boy (break dancer) name)
VAN-dalism (MC name)
Mizuren (online game handle)
Ephemeral Dreamer (nom de plume for journal writing; GO screen name)
Viking Destroyer of the North Wind Star (because friends said he sounded like he could be a viking)

Attributes
Persuasion
Charisma 2@1
Animal Magnetism
Strength
Stamina
Resistance
Density
Flexibility
Agility
Hand/Eye
Intellect 2@1
Intuition 2@4
Education Level 2@1
Will Power 1@10

Averaged Attributes
Ranged Strike Value
Martial Strike Value
Target Value
Damage Value

Best Relevant Attributes
Tech
Psi
Mag
Bod

Bias
Tech
Psi
Mag
Bod

Weaknesses
Allergic to Peanuts, Afraid of Spiders, Nearsighted with slight Right Eye astigmatism corrected by glasses
Description
5'9", 160#, Hair Color: Black, Style: Short, about 1.5inches. Age: 21 (I can pass as 26), Eye Color: Brown, Facial Hair: Trimmed moustache and go-t. Birthmarks: None, Tattoos: None, Scar, where stabbed self in failed suicide attempt, on chest near heart. Ethnicity: Filipino, Black, Spanish, Chinese. Usually mistaken for Tongan or Samoan.

Skills

Tech
1@5 Design Aerodynamic Vehicle (Body) T7@6
1@8 Digital Camera Use T10@0

Psi
1@5 Read Emotional State in Aura (Empathy) P1@1
1@8 Perceive and Interact With Spirits P3@10
1@3 Heightened Strength by energy manipulation P5@2 RS/10 intensity increase for RS/5 minutes followed by matching decrease for matching time.
1@5 Diagnose by Aura Reading P6@1
1@5 Heal Damage to Self by energy manipulation P6@1
1@5 Heal Self of Disease by energy manipulation P6@2
1@2 Heal Damage to Other by energy transfer P6@3
1@2 Cure Disease in Other by energy transfer P6@4

Mag
1@5 Arcane Knowledge M1@0

Bod
2@5 Ground-based Rolling (sideways, et cetera) B4@1
2@5 Ground-based Tumbling (forward and backward, primarily) B4@2
2@5 Handspring B4@5
2@5 Cartwheel B4@5
2@5 Fall Shock-absorbing Roll B4@6
2@1 Evasive Tumbling B4@8 RS=SM per minute
1@5 Bars transfer/non-contact stunts B6@5
2@5 Backflip B6@7
2@3 Kajukenbo B7@1 Style defensive push-based slow weapon-utilizing Att x1 +10 Att SM -15 Def SM
1@10 Capoeria B7@1 Style defensive fast kick-based weapon-utilizing Att x2 -20 Def SM involves kicks while standing on hands
2@5 Van-Eric's Hybrid Style B7@1 aggressive fast weapon-utilzing strike-based Att x2 +15 Att SM +20 Att Dam Mod +10 Def SM
1@10 Yo-yo B7@1 Martial Arts Weapon blunt and flex
1@6 Kendo Stick B7@1 Martial Arts Weapon blunt
1@5 Broad Sword B7@1 Martial Arts Weapon edged
1@8 Umbrella B7@1 Martial Arts Weapon
1@8 Brass knuckles B7@1 martial arts weapon skill
1@5 Pipe B7@1 martial arts weapon blunt
1@5 Eskrima Sticks B7@1 martial arts weapon pair of 2' wooden (mohogany) sticks
1@5 Butterfly Swords B7@1 martial arts weapon
2@5 Feint B7@2 faked kick to head causes opponent to dodge such that attacker gets +10SM on next attack.
1@7 Inner Ring Thrown B7@2 tactical, throws opponent RS/20', ordinary style damage, opponent must save against agility RS=S/D/N or fall.
1@9 Blessing B7@3 leveraged attack foot push on chest base damaging plus RS/10' distance, opponent save against agility RS=S/D/N or fall, -10 Att SM
2@1 Balança B7@4 Improved Defense, -10 SM to opponent attacks, side to side feints with torso to deceive opponent, throw off timing, and make it harder to track centerline, bodyweight shifted from leg leg in slight lateral hopping motion
1@5 Parry B7@5 RS=SM uses one attack against one attack.
1@5 Throat Grasp B7@7 choke hold from front position with one hand opponent save against stamina RS=S/D/N or unconscious RS/20 minutes
1@7 Knee to Face B7@7 damaging plus opponent save against stamina RS=S/D/N or unconscious RS/10 minutes, -10SM, uses 2 attacks.
1@5 Choke Hold B7@7 opponent save against stamina RS=S/D/N or unconscious RS/20 minutes
1@9 Parkour Skill Package BX@X running B3@6 in combination with other skills including Climb B1@3 (Dyno, Muscle-up), Crawl at Running Speeds B1@6 (Cat balance), Tumble From and To Erect Position B4@4 (Cat pass/Kong Vault/Monkey Vault), Fall Impact Absorption B4@6 (Landing, Roll), Low Obstacles B5@1 (Underbar), Reaching Jump B5@1 (Arm Jump/Cat Leap), Long Jump B5@3 (Gap jump/running jump, Precision), Assisted Jumping B5@5 (Pop vault/wall hop/wallpass/wallrun, Vault/pass, Speed vault, Lazy vault, Dash vault, Kash vault, Wall Jump/Tic-Tac/Tac Vault), Steerable Jumping B5@7 (Turn Vault/Turn down, Reverse Vault), Balance Beam Walking B6@1 (Balance), Bars Non-contact Stunts B6@5 (Lache/Swing), dropping to ground (not a skill)

Equipment
Two earrings in left ear lobe. One diamond, the other a small silver hoop.
White dress shirt
Black suit vest
Kukui Nut necklace
Black/Brown reversable belt.
Leather Bangle on left wrist
Black wristband with a metal Pentagram on it on right wriest. (Usually reversed so the pentagram is facing my skin so not to offend anyone who disproves of it.)
Dark jeans
Black dress shoes
Android G1 Cellphone (pocket)
Wallet: Drivers License, Pictures, Reciepts, Credit Card, Debit Card, Notes, Scrap paper (pocket)
Carmex lip balm (pocket)
Pen (pocket)
Messenger Bag: (Typical Messenger bag, Flap that has two pockets on it. Under the flap One front pocket with many smaller ones for random items. Main zipped pocket has a hidden smaller pocket inside the bag itself.)
Main journal (In bag)
Pen Pouch: Pens, Pencils, Erasers, Ink, and 9 containers of Lead (In bag)
Books; "The Five People you Meet in Heaven", "The Tao of Pooh", "Physics of the Impossible", A Wrinkle in Time". (In bag)
Magnetic Poetry Set (In bag)
Black Pouch; Tarot Cards and assorted moonstones (In bag)
Playing Cards (In bag)
3 journals
Blue Freehand Yo-yo and belt carrying pouch
PolarFleece fabric about the size of a comforter
Portable Solar Style 002 Solar Charger (Multi Purpose) and accessories. (All Cables with it)
Magnifying Glass
Gold Plated pocket watch, Dragon with a Ruby Red gem engraved on the cover
Nikon D2X
Death Note
Fork
Spoon
Steak Knife
Chop Sticks
Surgical Steel Hunting Knife in flat leather sheath with loop to be tied to a belt
Blast Knuckles from underneath my bed (Brass Knuckle type defnesive weapon with a taser built into the tip.)

World List

--M. J. Young

The Death Note, in the comic book story, will kill the human whose name is written inside it if the writer pictures that person's face while writing it(to avoid killing all persons of that name). It is a tool used by Shinigami, the Gods of Death, to end human lives. The book he is talking about is a replica, a fan thing people who like the series might have.

In the story, the notebook falls into the human world and is picked up by a human named Light Yagami, the protagonist, who uses it to systematically eliminate the world's criminals, without indicating the cause of death in the notebook, which causes the default of a heart attack. When about 20 of the world's most hardened criminals drop dead from heart attacks every single day, the world's authorities are forced to admit that someone somewhere has some sort of ESP-like ability to kill people from a distance, and the world's best detective tries to track down the killer.

It is one of my favorite series, I want to buy the anime episodes on DVD someday.

Yes! It is indeed one of the best series! Who knows who's views were truly just! But I liked the manga over the anime personally. But either way, it's still good!

So mostly it is a blank notebook with some manga/anime trivia on some of the inset pages connected to this show.

--M. J. Young

It is mostly blank, but no, its not trivia. The inset pages are filled with the rules on how to use the deathnote exactly as they're derscribed in the manga/anime. Basically, the deathnote I have is just an exact replica.

Except for the fact that it doesn't have magical powers.

An important distinction, I think.

Indeed, a very important distinction.

So it is a book in which there are pages explaining how to kill someone by writing his name on the blank pages of the book. Those explanations fill thirteen pages. There are then seven pages in which the names of seven people are printed as if written, along with intended cause of death for each, after which there are 100 blank pages on which you could in theory write names of people you want dead. Since, however, this is a non-magical replica, writing their names there would not result in anything other than your expression of your personal animosity toward them.

Is that accurate?

--M. J. Young

Probably so. However, should he one day enchant it appropriately...

I just found the sheet :D

1@6 Resistance
1@1 Density
2@1 Agility
2@2 Intuition
2@1 Education Level
1@9 Will Power
2@1 English Writing M 0@0
2@2 Singing-Renaissance Specialty M 0@0
1@5 Religion - Gardnarian Wicca M 0@1
1@6 Sympathetic Empathy P 1@1
1@2 Sport Fencing Foil B 7@1

Is the game still accepting new players? M.J. seems to have a lot on his plate, but he's not the only GM, either.

MJ likes to start new players. He probably will, although I'm not going to speak for him. If you've read the thread, then you know what to do. Start thinking about it and see what you can come up with. See what MJ says.

(Doing Therapy)

I'm usually willing to accept new players, but I can't imagine many would accept me, given a choice. MJ's here six days a week, with a few exceptions; it's not uncommon for my games to sit without a post for weeks or even months at a time. (That's partly because I also play live with all of my current players and threads have to wait on summaries, but still.)

If MJ feels he has too many players, I think what he usually does is to transfer someone he's been running for a while to a new referee to make room for the new player.

I would recommend starting character generation as outlined in the first posts of this thread. More than likely, you'll be playing under MJ within a week or so.

Scott's recommendations are usually good, and this one is included. Players come and go, really--going by active character sheets I've got twenty-four players for whom I am responsible; but the most active game threads I've seen in a day for quite some time is about six, which is the maximum I can run live at a table. A couple of the current players post heavily--in that when they post they cover a lot of ground, making me do a lot of work every day just for them--but I'm always willing to take another player or two.

So begin at the beginning, follow the instructions on the first page, and let's see who you really are.

--M. J. Young

Name: Matthew Moorlach
A.K.A.: Matt (in general), Mr. Moorlach (to my students), Honey (to Wendy)

Intellect
Two standard deviations above the average. Possibly three, depending on
the test used.

Intuition
I notice details to a much greater degree than most, but I would not regard my
hunches as generally trustworthy.

Education Level
Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, concentrating on Elementary Reading and Literacy

I have some coursework towards my masters degree.

I'm a little person, with short limbs and mild skull malformations. Six teeth in my upper jaw (evenly divided between right and left) and two in the lower have been extracted. My right knee gives me trouble until I've been actively using it for a bit. I'm prone to inhale small bits of food or drink, resulting in frequent coughing. I have mild allergies to pollen and cut grass, and I cannot take penicillin. When I get a bacterial infection that produces an inflammation or lesion, the infection heals normally, but the tissue damage it caused takes considerably longer to heal than cuts do.

Height: 46.5 inches
Weight: 108 pounds
Hair color: Dark brown
Hair style: In need of a haircut. My hair's brushing against the top of my ears.
Actual age: Mid-30s
Apparent age: Mid-20s
Eye color: Brown
Facial hair: Full beard, rounded
Birthmarks, tattoos, or other unusual markings: A flat, dark mole on the back side of my right upper arm. A darkened, reddish patch on the back of my left calf. An enlarged, rough spot on the right corner of my nose, with a coarse pore prone to swell up into a white mass if not drained and kept open.

Racial characteristics: Caucasian

Is Wendy wife, fiance, girlfriend (sister, mother, character from Peter Pan....)?

That's probably the most accurate presentation (and cogent argument) of intellect that I've ever been given, although it had been so long since anyone had mentioned a standard deviation to me I had to look it up. 2 Standard Deviations would put you easily in 1@10, almost 2@1; three would put you closer to 2@5. We'll call it 2@3, which is comfortably smart and well above average (about one in two hundred, roughly). And I'll remember that there is someone else on the board who can really keep me on my toes....

1@7 on Intuition, since the observation of details is a strong part of it; the lack of trustworthiness in the hunches suggests either that you're overly critical of them (they're not expected to be a hundred percent right) or you subconscious processing doesn't do as much as it could.

You are solidly 2@2 on your ed lev for a bachelors. Either teaching at the undergraduate or higher level or completion of a masters would give you 2@3; you've got teaching at a lower level and partial completion of the masters, so I'm going to pull those together and give you the 2@3 ed lev. (It won't affect that much, because in most places that you can use ed lev you can use intellect--but it will come into play on the question of "do you know this already/can you remember it", once in a while.)

Excellent overall, I'm already thinking of interesting possibilities for you, so let's move to the skills.

--M. J. Young

Nodwick, that does sound like the name of a Tolkien-esque dwarf....

Just teasing you dude, welcome to Gaming Outpost!!!

I knew I recognized the name. He's a comic character who debuted in Dungeon Magazine and then Dragon Magazine, appeared in his how comic book series, and still exists in webcomic form, if I understand aright. He's short but can carry any amount of weight, as long as it is designated "loot", as he is a henchman in a D&D-style character party.

--M. J. Young

That's right! I forgot all about it. Isn't it from the same guys who made (or make) Dork Tower?

I know that the author does several other strips, but I'm not sure whether Dork Tower is one of them. Nodwick replaced Knights of the Dinner Table in Dungeon, which is by a different group (Kenzer & Co., who also give us Hackmaster).

--M. J. Young

Wendy is my girlfriend. She's of normal height.

First question:
Teaching, professional.
English, professional.

Second question:
No.

Third question:
1. Sometimes, while resting in a trance or near-trance state, my mind and body
separate briefly, experiencing a displacement of my senses a short distance
away. I don't lose awareness of my body, I gain a second self that I am just as
aware of. This bilocation usually ends with something startling me, and an
abrupt sensation of suddenly falling, accompanied by an apparent physical
impact (downward) against the surface I'm resting upon. Definitely psionic.
2. Through meditation and weaving tendrils of myself (or is it my dreams?) betwixt
and between the molecules, I've attuned several items to serve me as ritual
tools, for when (and if) I get the courage together to attempt a formal
ceremonial spell. As things are, I'm still vaguely aware of each of them,
as if they were limbs which have fallen asleep. Psionic, magic, or both?
3. Open wardings. There was a bridge, not far from my home, which had for several
years a feeling of being bound, being deliberately warded by someone, barred
to some group or class of people. Through tracing a pentagram in the air,
initally with my finger, later on with just my eyes, and softly chanting
certain nonsense words, the ward moves outward into the railing, letting me
cross without discomfort. This ward has weakened over time, and several
months ago it seemingly became locked in the open position, still
detectable but impotent. Definitely arcane magic.

I'll leave my other occult experiences for later.

Fourth question:
No. I've certainly fantasized about taking up the circus arts on the side, but
I've never had the courage to do anything about it.

Concerning English, everyone is professional in his own native language; thus since I gather you teach English, we'll put you down as a low-intensity expert, 3@1 English P0@0.

As to teaching, would you consider yourself an average professional, or above or below average, by how much?

1@1 Remote Sensory Presence P3@10 resting in a near trance-like state, gains an external sensory presence a short distance away without losing awareness of his physical presence. Can be startled out of it.

2. Through meditation and weaving tendrils of myself (or is it my dreams?) betwixt and between the molecules, I've attuned several items to serve me as ritual tools, for when (and if) I get the courage together to attempt a formal ceremonial spell. As things are, I'm still vaguely aware of each of them, as if they were limbs which have fallen asleep. Psionic, magic, or both?

My feeling here is that objects which are used for ritual magic which are themselves "prepared" are ordinarily prepared magically. That would make this a M15@1 Create Focus skill. It is not impossible that this is actually a psionic skill, that you are in essence creating psionic devices. I suspect they would then be telepathic ones, attuned to your ability to contact them, possibly to store information in them. There are other possibilities, but that would require understanding what the objects do in connection with you, and that discussion only matters if for some reason you think that these are not magical foci, objects conditioned to be attuned to magic.

It sounds like you practiced the open wardings spell some, so we'll assume you've developed some skill in it: 1@5 Open Magical wardings M*4@8 trace hexagram pattern in air before blocked or warded space while chanting specific nonsense words for 0:30 permits user to pass unimpeded. Use of finger to focus line of sight confers +3SM to success.

Since there's only the two open questions here, you can start your equipment as soon as you've addressed them.

--M. J. Young

For the state I live in, I would consider myself a fairly average teacher. Perhaps a little below average for teachers in the nation as a whole, seeing that we are one of the lowest ranked states, educationally.

Isn't it possible to use ones' personal energy (psionics) to manipulate and create a magical effect? Or the converse, using magic to invest small parts of the self into an item.

Also, hexagram =/= pentagram.

P.S. I do have one equipment question. Does everything I choose materialize with me when I verse out into a new world, or can some items hang suspended in the scriff until
jostled out via being 'summoned' by me?

I apologize sheepishly. I do know the difference between five and six (it is one). I was probably working too fast and remembered that it was a magic figure, of which pentagrams and hexagrams are the most popular, and I typed the wrong one. Pentagrams have been considered "magical" ever since Greek mathematicians observed the intriguing internal and external angle ratios.

We'll give you a 2@5 "average professional" skill ability level at teaching, P0@1.

It is possible to mix skills from different biases, as you say to use psionics to manipulate magic or to use magic to connect psionically, or similarly to devise a technological device which interacts with psionic energy. These things get rather complicated, and it is much more common and better altogether for bias areas to be kept discrete, particularly in the design of skills.

Part of that is simply that it is difficult to determine sometimes whether someone is using his own inner powers or power tapped from beyond the natural world. There are some who so strongly believe in supernatural power and disbelieve in paranormal abilities that they attribute all paranormal claims to supernaturalism; there are others who so disbelieve in the supernatural that they attribute all supernatural claims to the paranormal/psychic/psionic realm. From what I observe, you appear to believe in both internal power from yourself and external power from God/gods/spirit beings beyond the natural/material realm; thus a significant part of the question involves categorizing each skill as to which power is being tapped for that skill. It would not be impossible for a psionic skill to manipulate magical energies, nor for a magic skill to emulate psionic abilities, but such skills remain essentially psionic or magical based on the power they use to achieve the result, and crossing the bias connection is much more difficult than doing the same thing within the same bias, most of the time. An object which is attuned for use in magic rituals probably has been attuned by magic.

It strikes me as worth mentioning that if by psionic you mean that you are channeling energy from elsewhere, then that is just a different type of magic.  Psionic energy originates within the individual (rarely, within the minds of collective individuals, which is one interpretation of The Force); magical energy originates outside the natural universe(s) in a supernatural realm.

Concerning your equipment question, your character has no "control" over the equipment. You create a list which we accept as those things which are sufficiently connected to you that they would attach to you in this situation. They arrive with you. Also, if for example some of the things you are taking are at your home and others are at your office, then we will decide whether you are with the things at home or the things at the office (or, depending on the nature of the accident which starts your adventures, between the two), and the others will be at the same distance from you when you arrive in the new world as they were when you departed from the old. But they all arrive; you have no control over when or where, and nothing can be stored in the scriff, which as a realm ejects material objects as quickly as it can.

In certain worlds you might be able to create storage spaces you could use that way, but these would not be available in all worlds; you can also devise summoning skills, but again these will not work in all worlds.

--M. J. Young

As I learned it, there's a spark, however infinitesimal, of the divine deep within all of us. Smothered by matter, or twisted awry by ill fate, it's still there, a shining pinprick. A gift of potential, the creative spark of imagination, the possibility for enlightenment. The throne and foundation of our personal gifts, whatever they might be.

Is this magic, coming as it does from the realms beyond and before our world, or is it psionics as part and parcel of what makes one human, this little, intensely personal bond to the source of being?

If that tiny shining point is the channel by which more energy from beyond flows into the universe, then it is magic.

If that tiny shining point is the source from which the power grows and flows, then it is psionic.

--M. J. Young

Psionic, than.

Sorry this is taking so long, and you really could start on your equipment while we wrap up this one skill. Let me pull together the pieces and see where we are with it.

You wrote,

2. Through meditation and weaving tendrils of myself (or is it my dreams?) betwixt and between the molecules, I've attuned several items to serve me as ritual tools, for when (and if) I get the courage together to attempt a formal ceremonial spell. As things are, I'm still vaguely aware of each of them, as if they were limbs which have fallen asleep. Psionic, magic, or both?

I wrote a lot of other stuff, but it seems the most relevant was,

If that tiny shining point is the channel by which more energy from beyond flows into the universe, then it is magic.

If that tiny shining point is the source from which the power grows and flows, then it is psionic.

You responded,

Psionic, than.

...and you an English teacher....

I do not want to make an incorrect assumption. You say that you are aware of them as if they were limbs that had fallen asleep; you say that you hope or plan to use them in ritual magic. Yet it is my impression that they do not "do" anything beyond the fact that they are connected to you. You do not get sensory data through them; you cannot cause them to move remotely. What you have is something like a prosthetic body part, in that you would know if something damaged it, but you would not feel pain; you know where it is without thinking about it, but you cannot manipulate it.

If that's correct, then I'm thinking that you've got a P9@1 Create Telepathic Psionic Device, whose telepathic function is solely that it communicates with your own mind directly, and a P1@3 Operate Psionic Telepathic Device by which you connect to it.

If my assessment is not correct, then I'm not asking the right questions.

--M. J. Young

I'm sorry. I fell ill Thursday, with a fever, followed by a brief, terrifying period of full body muscle spasms early Friday morning.

In general, you do not need to apologize for being absent. (I need to do so, because I run the games and the forum, and my absence holds everyone up. You do not need to apologize for not posting.) It does help if you let us know in advance if you are anticipating a long absence, and if you decide to leave the game or the board I would appreciate the courtesy of a message to that effect. A few days' absence is not a problem, though.

--M. J. Young

Hey Nodwick-almost 3 standard deviations above the norm-isn't that about 145-ish? If I remember aright, 15 points away from 100 is a standard deviation for most tests. My mom got 172, but I never asked her what test it was and if it was accepted by the scientific community, so that may be fairly inaccurate. Plus, it was 15-20 years ago. She is frighteningly intelligent, though.

Most tests I have heard about are meant for ages 4-7 or something, and I never got a chance to take one of them. hmm.

Mensa used to provide a home test you could take to see if you were really as smart as you thought you were, although for membership you had to take a test administered by an approved psychologist.

When I took them there were two, scored separately; I got 99th percentile on both, and since you only needed to score 98th on either to qualify I figure that counted for something. When I took the LSAT, the 48 I got was listed as 99.8th percentile for the test, but it's more a test of reasoning ability than I.Q., I think--at least, there was no mathematical component.

Anyway, percentiles are what Mensa uses, because they're consistent across all tests.

My reason for mentioning this was that you could probably get a free preliminary test from Mensa if you were that interested.

--M. J. Young

Different Character Sheet for Unbercon Tangent:
Name: Ahmetia Andreas Campbell
AKA: Loudmouth (AnimeNext Werewolf Group)

Attributes:
@ Persuasion
@ Charisma
@ Animal Magnetism

@ Strength
@ Stamina
1@6 Resistance
1@1 Density
1@6 Flexibility
2@1 Agility
@ Hand/Eye
@ Intellect
2@2 Intuition
2@1 Education Level
1@9 Will Power

Averaged Attributes
@ Ranged Strike Value
@Martial Strike Value
@ Target Value
@ Damage Value

Bias Levels
@ Tech
@ Psi
@ Mag
@ Bod

Best Relevant Attribute
@ Tech
@ Psi
@ Mag
@ Bod

Weaknesses: Allergic to dust & pollen, wears glasses: 1.5-2 ft starts to get blurry for 12 point font

Physical Description
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 170
Current Hair Style: Straight, wavy, scuzzy
Hair Color: Brown
Age: 20
Eye Color: Blue
Facial Hair: No
Birthmarks, Tattoos, or other unusual markings: No

Skills:
2@1 English Writing Mag 0@0 Home
2@2 Singing-Renaissance Mag 0@0 Home
1@5 Religion - Solitary Wicca Mag 1@0 Home
1@6 Sympathetic Empathy Psi 1@1 Home
1@2 Sport Fencing - Foil Bod 7@1 Home

Equipment:
Pink Plad Shirt w/ short skirt & drawstring - On Me - Home
Jeans - On Me - Home
Purse w/Celtic Knot Stitching (Iron On) - On Me - Home
Cell Phone - On Me - Home
Wallet w/Drivers License - On Me - Home
Brown Velcro Sandals - On Me - Home
Ubercon Badge w/Clip String - On Me - Home
Glasses - On Me - Home
Gray Wool Cape w/ Red Strings and Hood - On Me - Home
White Chemise Style Cotton Shirt w/ Drawstring - (At the time) In my car - Home
Black Short Dress w/studs and lacing - My Room - Home
Black Ruffle Skirt 3 layers - My Room - Home
Black Stocking Knee Highs - My Home - Home
Black Heeled Shoes w/Shoe Laces - My Home - Home
Black Top Hate w/ Ribbon - My Room - Home
Pink Laptop w/Charger/Adapter - My Car - Home
4' Wooden Staff - My Closet - Home
5 Writing Journals - My Room - Home
Cell Phone Charger - My Car - Home
Gray furry/black cotton Renaissance Bodice w/ 2 drawstrings and a dragon embroidery - My Closet - Home
2 Sketch Books - My Room - Home
My coolpix camera - My Car - Home
Black Renaissance Skirt w/ Drawstring - My House - Home
White Chemise w/ Drawstring - My House - Home
U.S Passport - My Room - Home
Blue Duffle Bag - My Car - Home
Modern Maps of: Paris, Brudge, Brussles, London, Amsterdam, Stirling;Scotland - In My Drawer - Home
Charge Adapters for; Europe, Nigiria, Canada, Japan, China, Austrailia 0 In My House - Home
Rolling Suitcase (Knapsack Size) - In My Car - Home
6 Pineapples - Island (Faregnutin or however it's spelt)

Got it.

That information about where exactly things were before you versed is useful, but it's not actually what was meant by "location". The point really is to know how you're carrying them--in your backpack, in your pockets, in your hands, that sort of thing.

But I don't usually ask that in the online game, mostly because I cut down significantly on my own record keeping here so I can lump lots of players into one sheet.

--M. J. Young

Hi, I'm sorry for taking so long, but I played at the Saturday morning session at Ubercon a few weeks ago. Here's my character sheet (the stats I was given):

Alex Medina
A.K.A. Sergeant Mad Dog or Mad Dog

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160
Short Black Hair
Age: 27
Brown Eyes
Small diagonal scar on forehead, about 1" long

Attributes:
2@2 Stamina
1@10 Resistance
1@2 Density

1@8 Flexibility
2@2 Agility

2@1 Education Level
2@3 Will Power

Stage 2

Skills:
2@8 M16A2 Rifle T6@1
2@5 9mm Pistol T6@1
2@5 Operate Grenade T6@1
2@5 Modify/Repair Firearms T6@3
2@6 Marine Corps Hand-to-Hand B7@1
2@5 Pressure Point Attack B7@3
2@5 Crippling Strike B7@7
1@10 Bo Staff B7@1
1@10 Sai B7@1
1@10 Tonfa (Nightstick) B7@1
1@5 Bow and Arrow B7@1
1@5 Kama (Hand Scythe) B7@1
1@4 Katana B7@1
1@3 Nunchucks B7@1
1@2 Double Broad Swords (Chinese Style) B7@1
2@1 Knife B7@1
1@2 Pilot T8@1
2@1 Repair FA-18 Engine T8@2
1@5 Electronic Repair T10@3
2@5 English Language P0@0
2@5 Spanish Language P0@0
1@8 Japanese Language P0@0
1@8 Religion (Catholicism) M1@0
2@5 Forest Survival T0@1
1@10 Extreme Temperature Survival T0@1
1@8 Cooking T1@2
2@1 Endurance-based Swimming B1@2

Equipment:
-Body:
Green T-Shirt
Black Leather Belt
Khaki Cargo Pants
Black Boxers
White Socks
White Handkerchief
Grey Sneakers
Wristwatch
Black Wallet w/ Gold Belt Chain
16 GB Flash Drive
Knife, Black blade
Cell Phone w/ charge cord
Marine Corps Ring
RPGA ID
RPG Standard Dice Set
White Notepad
Pen, Black Ink
Star Wars "Darth Revan" miniature figure

-Molle Pack Backpack:
Keys w/Key Rings and long woven vinyl strap
2 Credit Cards
Skull Cap, black w/ gold design
3 Magic: The Gathering card decks
Full Body Towel
50 ft. spool of 3/4" rope
Leatherman multipurpose tool
2 Marine Corps K-Bar boot knives
Katana
Laptop w/ Mouse and Number Pad
2 Sharpie markers, one black, one silver
10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera w/ charger cord
Small Net, 3' x 3'
Pack of 20 twist ties
1 roll Duct Tape, dark green
Jungle Camouflage uniform, Shirt and Pants
Desert Camouflage uniform, Shirt and Pants
All-Weather Combat Boots, Black leather
Hatchet
Cold Weather gear, Overshirt and Overpants
Shelter Half, military lean-to
Machete
Marine Corps Multipurpose flashlight, "Moonbeam"
Pack of 30 Chemical Light sticks
Navigational Compass
Plastic Canteen

2-year old Siberian Husky, "Shiva"

I was inspecting a new piece of avionics equipment that was infused with Scriff, and it overloaded and killed me. I awoke on The Island with my stuff and my dog. I met up with the other new versers and met Mike Divarce. He explained a bit about the Island and how it was eventually going to erupt and blow up. I offered to kill anyone who didn't want to wait. No one wanted me to.

The next day, the Island erupted. The other new versers died out, but I was still alive. I met up with Mike, and we charged up the mountain together. Before I died, I was told to roll 3 10-sided dice, and was told that I achieved "Stage 2."

That's as far as I got.

Oh, wow, I think I know who you are. Recent military, referees D&D games, yes?

Why do we not have an intuition for you? That's one of the stats I always nail down in character creation. You can take a look at the article Intuition and Surprise at RPGnet for some help in grasping how I understand intuition, but if it's not an oversight in your posting I'll be very surprised myself.

Incidentally, it was 2d20 that determined you were at stage 2; you rolled below your flexibility, which is what does that. You'll make that roll every time you die.

The "extreme temperature survival": is that heat/desert, or cold/arctic? Or do you have both (in which case I will list them separately)?

You describe the wallet has having a "gold belt chain". Is that gold-colored, or is it actually 14K gold or something (much more pure would make a very poor chain for a wallet, although I suppose 18K would be possible)?

Roughly how many cards would be included in each of the three Magic the Gathering decks? (It's unlikely that you would become involved in playing the game, but possible that the cards themselves might come to have other value.)

When you say "laptop with mouse and number pad" I'm assuming that the mouse is an attached peripheral (USB?) but the number pad is part of the keyboard. Is that correct?

Concerning the "Small Net, 3' x 3'", roughly how tight/strong is the mesh? There are nets designed for catching goldfish and those for catching tuna, and they're rather different.

Are the twist ties paper/plastic covered wire, or are they more like the plastic wire ties with the slip-through locks?

Does the machete come with a canvas cover for the blade?

Shiva is no longer equipment; she (he?) is now an associated character who travels with you because she (he?) wants to. That increases your available weight limit for the future. It also means we need to post some numbers for the dog. Because of the senses of smell and hearing, I'm going to give the dog a 2@1 intuition (hard to surprise a dog, and they do get good hunches about things that aren't right). I'll also need a flexibility score so we can roll for what stage she is at coming into the next world. How flexible do you think the dog is? That's a tough one, of course, because in some ways dogs are more flexible and in other ways less flexible than humans (we can do more with our arms and midsections, they with their heads and hindlegs), but we need to come up with a number that makes some sense. Suggestions?

I think I'll wait for answers to some of these questions before posting the new thread.

--M. J. Young