Revision [146]
This is an old revision of Av2VRCharacters made by ConradWong on 2010-09-30 18:14:51.
Overview
All VR characters are familiar with the low level areas of settings in which they live. Your main character receives Knowledge: VR Game World (Avatars or Gloaming) to reflect this. However, it is not a given that they can operate vehicles of their time period; these must be taken as skills.
VR characters can advance much more quickly than main characters. You might find yourself able to afford a new VR character advance practically every session in which you play your VR character, whereas your main character might only receive enough XP to buy an advance after completing entire storyline arcs.
While a player's VR characters will never (under normal circumstances) die permanently, it is possible for a player's VR character to be presumed dead but later find himself or herself alive, in dire straits, elsewhere - for instance, found by slavers who are keeping the player alive just to sell in a distant market. The Gloaming also allows players to perform emergency escapes in which they slip away into the void between worlds, and are able to return in a random location, gravely wounded but at least safe from their enemies - for the moment. Half the fun of being "killed" is trying to get out of whatever deathtrap situation you wake up in.
General Skills
- Alchemy (Smarts) - TODO(lynx)
- Knowledge: Ancient Lore (Smarts) - TODO(lynx)
- Riding (Agility) - you can ride domesticated and trained mounts without this skill, but you will need this skill to be able to ride in combat.
- Sailing (Agility) - allows you to pilot or crew a sailing ship or an airship.
Arcane Background
You should choose one of the following Arcane Backgrounds for your VR character. You can never change this later without starting over with a new VR character.
- Link (Avatar) - you gain d4 Link (Spirit). You should define your Avatar's appearance and chosen element, i.e. earth, air, fire, water, steam, ice, sand, et cetera. Your Avatar begins with a 10-point power pool and one power, plus a set of natural abilities and attributes which will be provided by the GM. Summoning and dismissing your Avatar does not take power.
- Link (Focus) - you gain d4 Link (Spirit). A Focus may be a piece of armor, weapon, or other item of reasonably large side (at least the size of your head). You will have a 10 point power pool and one power which you use through the Focus. Your Focus will have two Advances which you gain whenever you summon and equip the Focus. Summoning and dismissing your Focus does not take power.
- Spellcaster - you gain d4 Spellcasting (Smarts). You have a 10 point power pool and three powers.
- Lycanthrope - Gloaming only you gain d4 Control Shape (Spirit). You have a 10 point power pool and the power Shapeshifting. You begin with three Advances to make your shifted form more powerful than your normal form, but are vulnerable to silver weapons (2x damage).
- Creature of the Night - Gloaming only you gain d4 Dark Mastery (Spirit). You have a 10 point power pool, a power, and a monstrous ability or advance of your choice. Vampires might choose Mind Control, increased Strength, and take the Charisma Edge, but would suffer damage from sunlight and be afraid of garlic, crosses, and running water*. Faeries might choose the monstrous ability Flight, the power Bolt, and buy up Agility, but would be vulnerable to iron and steel weapons (2x damage).
* Taking an Edge to stipulate that Vampires are immortal and can only be killed by a wooden stake through the heart seems pointless given that events would intervene to prevent a player's VR character from being permanently killed.
Edges
For all but Avatar Links, you may take the New Power and Increase Power Pool Edges as normal (once each per Rank). The Rapid Recharge Edge is gone. (30 minutes, or even 15, is an eternity in a movie-style campaign)
Promote Avatar - grants your Avatar three Advances. Your Avatar can then purchase New Power and/or Increase Power Pool if you so desire. May not be taken more than once per Rank.
Avatar Sense - allows you to see, hear, and feel what your Avatar does. Grants +1 to Avatar Link rolls.
Heal Avatar - you can channel energy into your Avatar. Roll Avatar Link against a target of 4 to give up one level of Fatigue to cure one of your Avatar's Wounds. Each Raise allows you to cure one additional Wound at no additional cost. On a Botch, you are Shaken, but it is impossible to further injure your Avatar.
Drawing on Inner Strength
For all VR characters, you (or your Avatar, for Avatar Links) may attempt to draw on your inner strength to gain extra power. You don't have to run out of power in order to do so. In these circumstances, roll Spirit against a target of 4. If successful, you gain 5 power points, but your target number increases by 1 for the next time. Each Raise grants an additional 5 power points. If you fail however, you take one Fatigue level and your power pool is reset to 0 points, and if you Botch, you are Shaken and cannot try again for 2d4 rounds.
This normally takes a round. You can attempt to perform an action immediately upon getting energy if you specify you are doing so, and pay the -2 multi-action penalty.
