Statistical Character Generation and LARP Gameplay(An Example System)



by Jim Trent

It should be noted that the SCARS/Order storyline for event RP is not tied to any one Role-playing system and convention planners have the right to use whatever game system resources are at their disposal. This is provided as a example of frame work based LARPing and for the enjoyment of the participants. It is in no way required to particpate in the SCARS/Order shared storyline.

The following is the most basic a simplified version of my generic system called G.L.A.S. (Generic Live Action System) which I’ve used off and on pretty much for the last 7 years as a platform for LARP games at large events and small gathering such as conventions, parties, and game stores. It’s designed to be light and easy to follow as well as adaptive to the event and the player. If you can count to 60 and do basic math then you can play this system. Note: This is not the full Steampunk Europa RPG system although characters from previous convention performances of Steampunk Europa are compatible.

Character Generation. “I’m a 3 Intelligence easy..”
This is a pregenertaed persona RP experience so you’re bringing your character to the experience some of which are years in the development and tweaking long before the first shot was fired between SCARS and The Order. So this system is suggestive way to either build (i.e. stat out) your existing persona for stated play or just to give your character a reference point in power level and capabilities to other characters. (We do kind of need to know who’s Superman and who’s Blue Beetle).

This shortened down system for quick generation assumes the reader has at least video gaming experience and will use broad gamer terms and assume the reader is familiar with gaming concepts. People who have absolutely no gaming experience whatsoever really need to go through the following one on one with the Game master Staff at their next event. Remember Stated play is only one option for participation in this experience and storyline staff are highly adaptive and supportive of the inclusion of new players. Role play as much as you are comfortable and let any systems used by events in the future be a tool and not a limitation.



Primary Abilities- “Make some boxes.”
Accessing the Primary statistical abilities of your Steampunk persona can be an exercise in imagination humility. Fortunately this system does some of the limitation for you. To demonstrate how to build an established character we’ll build Captain Delicru from the ground up as our Example build.

Your Primary Abilities are Might, Agility, Stamina, Charm, Intelligence, and Wisdom. This system runs on a 1-5 mathematic with the statistic 5 being greatest. When starting your character build give your character Two stastical 3’s, two statistical 2’s, and two statistical 1’s.

''Example; Captain Delicru is known to be a figure of social grace and cunning intellect so we’ll assign his two 3’s to Charm and Intelligence. He’s known also to be a man of action so we’ll apply those two 2’s to Might and Agility. He is known howver to be younger man whose zeal for his crusades and passions can overwhelm without wise counsel and his health and form from exposure to Order science (namely the Soul Forge) has been weakened so we’ll use those two weak 1’s at Wisdom and Stamina.''

Accompanying Skills- “I’m a bad ass at this..”


Once you’ve assigned you Ability scores you can then determine your skill points to fill out the spaces underneath the Ability. Skills range from 1 to 5 as well with 5 being the greatest in scale. You will note that the skill boxes save one are empty and are left to your imagination to fill out. However be sure what every Skill you select is useful and versatile as each Ability is limited to 5 Skills.

To determine Skill levels simply write down the skills you wish your persona to have under the Ability it relates to. Then multiply the Ability number by 3 and divide the result amongst the

Skills you wrote down. Do this for every Ability box. No Ability can have more than 5 accompanying skills in order to keep the game quick and easy to remember while on foot.

''Example; Captain Delicru has a Intelligence of 3 so multiplied by 3 he receives 9 points to break up into his Skill levels. To reflect his upbringing and Order Education in the ways of the Multiverse the points are broken up amongst the following Skills:''

Alchemy 1 Investigation 2 Languages 2 Tactics 2 Navigation 3

The same process is repeated for each Ability and Skill set.

Age Category and Damage Levels- “But how old does he look…”
Age is represented by Age Category. The health of your character is represented by Damage Level. There are four main age categories that effect character’s statistics as well as role play effects. In addition to setting your damage level Age category will have effect on your character’s Ability maximums and any bonus Gadgets, Elixirs, and Wonders you may receive as well as Merits and Flaws. Note these now as they will be covered later in the Character generation process. Remember the is the relative appearance and durability of your character, spatial effects ad such could effect so use conservative estimates when assigning this.

C  ategory A– 15-20 years. Your character is newly recognized in society. Just beginning in life you have little experience or training but your health is better and your potential limitless. Character has a Damage Level of 20 with no restriction on Abilities. You must take the Flaw A Bit Young.

Category B- 21-35 years. Your character has moved into mature adulthood and has worked through early assignments to advance to more difficult tasks. Character has a Damage Level of 18 and no restriction on Abilities. You may add a Level Two Gadget, Elixir, or Wonder on your Character Sheet

Category C– 36-48 years. Your character has aged to the point of influence in society. Years of service, travel, and surviving disease have taken their toll but your experience earns you greater resp

onsibility and power. Character has a Damage Level of 16 and must reduce the maximum number of two Abilities by 1. You may add a Level 3 Gadget, Elixir, or Wonder and 15 Bonus Build Points on your Character Sheet

 Category D– 49+ years. Your character is an elder in the eyes of society. Your knowledge from years of experience serves you well but the years have taken their toll. Character has a Damag e Level of 14 and must reduce the maximum number of three Abilities by 1. You may add a Level 4 Gadget, Elixir, or Wonder and 25 Bonus Build Points on your Character Sheet. You must take the Flaw Past your Prime.

Influence- "I make things happen.."
Influences represent a character’s connections to the primary resources which drive the economy and development of the Multiverse. They are traded and bartered between players for military and diplomatic purposes. There are six types of Influences.

Position– The Position Influence represents a level of authority and access that the character enjoys in a society. Use of this Influence is representative of the pulling of strings and the contacting people in authority to get things done bureaucratically.

Wealth– The Wealth Influence represents the raw wealth of the character in money and property. Use of this Influence indicates how much wealth the Character is accessing. When expended Wealth Influence generates 1,000 Coal Credits per use. Wealth use beyond this requires GM approval.

Knowledge– The Knowledge Influence represents the level of academic data and research the character has access to including hidden or forbidden knowledge. Use of this Influence indicates the character is seeking knowledge bases materials for specific project.

Manpower– The Manpower Influence represents the character’s ability to call for qualified workers. All characters have a minimum Manpower of 1 which represents themselves.

Resources– The Resources influence refers to actual building materials of all varieties. Use of this Influence indicates the character has accessed personal storehouses or acquired materials from sources.

Arms– The Arms Influence represents the ability of the character to access weaponry and the components of weapons including ammunition and military grade firearms. Use of this Influence indicates that the character has had to acquire armament through legal or illegal channels. This Influence should be heavily monitored by the GM.

At Character Creation Influences are issued by the GM and the amount handed out to the cast is at the GM’s discretion. The amount should be directly related to the level of the character. Depending of the size and scope of the game the amount of Influences a character should start with is 3 to 5 times the character Level. All characters have one permanent Manpower Influence (representing themselves) that can never be Sacrificed. Wealth Influence can be converted into Resources or Manpower Influences at an exchange rate of 2 for 1 with GM approval. Influences are gained through roleplay and through GM awards for completing game objectives. Influences are used to build large constructs, change political issues, and solve larger issues at events. In the SCARS/Order storline most characters will enter games at events with 5 times their Character Level in Influences.



''Example: Captain Delacru has resources streched across the Multiverse and they are varied. He recieves one Manpower for himself automaticaly. He recieved 20 more Infuences for being a Level 4 character. He''

''choses 4 Arms (as he has the Noble Merit), 1 Position (SCARS) (+1 Noble Merit and +1 Noble Elite Merit ), 4 Manpower, 5 Knowledge, 3 Resources, and 2 Wealth (plus 3 for the Noble Elite Merit). He recieves an additional 3 Wealth from his Noble Elite Merit. Captain Delacru has a lot to work with at the event but Influences are weekend long so''

if storyline issues require too much of his Influence to resolve then he may need to work with other characters and lean on their Influences later in the weekend.

Merits and Flaws- "I only got one eye, but my ..."
Characters are not simply raw abilities and specialized skills they have weakness and strengths. Personality quirks and talents that make them stand out from their peers. The extra uniqueness of personality is represent in a character by their Merits and Flaws. These extra features of the character make them an individual and give them their place in the SCARS/Order storyline. Some Merits and Flaws are designed to compliment each other while others cannot be taken by the same character so be sure to read the Merit and Flaw descriptions thoroughly. At Character Creation players may select up to 10 points of worth Flaws that they may spend only on Merits and Skills. These points must be spent at creation and cannot be combined with any other points or used at any other part of the Character Creation process.

Merits
Amateur Alchemist (2 points)- Your obsession with various liquids always confused your parents but your weird side hobby keeps you in touch with the most interesting people. Your character may make a Intelligence + Barter Difficulty Draw (vs.15) to locate exotic supplies needed for skills such as Medicine and Herbalism. (Obviously the character must take Charm Skill Barter to use this Merit.)

Attractive (3 points)- You’ve survived the ailments of youth and reached adult hood relatively unscarred. In addition your physique has caught the eye of more than one admirer. Your character gains a +2 bonus on all Charm Difficulty Draws where he/she can be seen.

Brawny (3 points)- Your love of the gym and the yard weights has been rewarded. Your character gains a +1 to his/her Might Ability at character creation.

Brilliant (3 points)- Your love of the library and the lecture halls is evident. Your character gains +1 to his/her Intelligence Ability at character creation.

Beloved by Heirs (4 point)- You are a loving and generous parent/guardian/mentor and your heirs have a great affection for you. You may select three younger Society members and give them the Doting Mentor Merit. These three characters must agree to accept the Merit but once they do they must make a Deception Skill Draw (vs.20) to deceive to you. You must take the Obvious Attachment Flaw for each character.

Doting Mentor (2 points)- Your character has a special bond with a teacher or senior Society member. This merit gives the character a NPC mentor who will give the character one extra Wealth or Resource Influence three times. This Merit can only target a player character in the cast in conjunction with the Beloved by Heirs Merit.

Fighting Style: (4 points) You are trained in a specific style of fighting or martial art. You may add a +2 bonus to any two martial skills, or a +3 bonus to any one martial skill. The choice is yours. This adds to skill checks not to skill levels

Focused: (3 points) Pick any one Might, Agility, or skill. That skill is increased by one point and the maximum for the skill level itself is increased to six (6).

Geek: (3 points) per skill. Pick a Wisdom or Intelligence skill. That skill is increased by one point and the maximum for the skill level itself is increased to six (6).

Iron Lung: (2 points) You gain a +3 bonus to resist inhaled toxins.

Lead Heart: (3 points) You gain a +4 bonus to resist radioactive substances.

Legendary Genius: (3 points) You gain a +2 Charm to all social interactions that involve technophiles. This bonus increases to a +4 with members of your Faction.

Military: 3 (points) You gain a point of Position and the ability to access the Arms Influence.

Military Elite: (5 points) You must posses the Military merit. You gain a point of Position. You gain a point of Manpower for each point of Position that you have.

Nefarious: (6 points) Your name is synonymous with fear. You gain a +2 to intimidation checks.

Notable Parent (4 points)- Your father or mother were not only people of status but of ability and influence. Your character may have 6 Position Influence total. You must take the Great Expectations Flaw

Noble: (3 points) You gain a point of Position and gain access to the Arms Influence.

Noble Elite: (5 points) You must posses the Noble merit. You gain a point of Position. For each point of Position you gain a point of Wealth.

Prodigy in the Field (4 points)- You have shown a natural aptitude for a particular skill all your life. Your character may have one designated skill with a maximum total of 7.

Well Grounded: (4 points) You are particularly well grounded. You take only a third of the damage (rounded down) from electricity.

Well Kept Secret (3-5 points)- You made some mistakes but your families’ resources and good ole government bureaucracy has made it easier to hide. You may purchase this Merit for 3-5 points to cover up a Flaw of equal value. This Merit may be purchased multiple times as long as it is designated for a different Flaw each time. Any attempts to discover or expose the designated Flaw that require card draws will have their difficulty increased by 5.

Well Trained: (4 points) pick any physical skill. You add a +2 bonus on skill checks with the skill you have chosen.

Flaws:
A Bit Young (1 point)- You are just starting out in life and have trouble gaining the respect of older Europans. Your character suffers a –1 Charm or –1 Wisdom penalty (GM decision) in any scene with characters of Age Category C or D.

Adopted (2 points)- You are a former commoner adopted by a noble family. Too bad other nobles hold your former status against you. Nobility characters may gain a +1 bonus to Charm skills in scenes with your character if they so choose. To gain this advantage the opposing player must mention your adopted status in conversation or debate.

Arc-Blind: (2 points) Long exposure to bright light of some sort has made your eyes extremely sensitive to light. You must wear tinted goggles to withstand even low levels of light. Without goggles you suffer a –3 to all tests involving visual perception.

Clumsy (2 Points) You are not the most coordinated of individuals. Take a -1 to Dodging, Running, or Stealth based actions at GM's discretion.

Cannot Lie. (3 points) You cannot lie.

Chauvinist (2 points) You believe your sex is superior to the other. For either sociological, religious or personal reason your character will underestimate and undervalue the opposite sex in role-play. Characters with this flaw suffer a –1 Charm Ability modifier with members of the opposite sex.

Copernicus Crackle: (2 points) you produce a shocking sensation when you come into contact with others. This is simply because your body is highly conductive; however it may be tough to convince someone of that.

Cruel to Apprentices (3 points)- You treat your apprentices like slaves and are known to strike and scold them for the smallest infraction. If your character is involved in combat and his/her apprentices and co-workers are involved in the scene the character’s apprentices will attempt to flee at the first opportunity and will make no attempt to rescue the character.

Deadly Enemy (5 points) a powerful organization or individual has sworn to kill you.

Garbage Disposal: (5 points)- Your immune system is impenetrable, or at the least apathetic. Elixir effects are halved. If the elixir provides a +1 bonus to something, than the elixir will not affect this character at all.

Great Expectations (4 points)- Your parent or other notable relative is a well known and accomplished figure in Steampunk life. You must work daily to live up to the legacy left for you whether you want to or not. Every session that your character doesn’t receive either recognition from their faction, retain a society office, or is designated Overseer, Engineer, or Armorer of a Construct he/she must lose a Position or Wealth Influence permanently.

Loud: (2 Points) Your voice is powerful, and so are your footsteps. You will take a -2 penalty when trying to sneak past an enemy, or when attempting stealth rolls of any kind.

Misplace: (2 points) You have a bad habit of misplacing small but usually somewhat important items at random. Like keys. At GM discretion make a Wisdom check to locate a misplaced item.

Obvious Attachment (1 point)- You have a special bond with another perosn and tend to show it. Your character must select a character within his/her faction and role play a preference for them. Other characters in the cast may use this relationship against you in role play. In addition the character designated by this Flaw gains +1 Charm Ability in all Charm based contested draws with your character.

Past your Prime (1 point)- You are nearing the end of life and have trouble identifying with younger Europans. Your character suffers a –1 Charm or –1 Intelligence penalty (GM discretion) in any scene with characters of Age Category A or B.

Perfect Manicure: (4 points) You must be attended to by servants. You deserve it. You are brilliant and can’t be expected to serve yourself or get your hands dirty. You must begin with a Manpower Influence of 2 or more. You may never contribute your last two Manpower Influences to any cause other than personal maintenance.

Secret Lover (3 point)- You, like many other notable people, keep a secret companion. If discovered this Flaw can make serious trouble for the character especially if he/she is married. This is a role play Flaw and the effects are completely at GMs discretion.

Sinister: (2 points) You always appear to be plotting and scheming. People can see it on your face. You may not actually have evil plans up your sleeve but people expect that you do. You receive a –3 penalty on Deception checks.

Snob (3 points)- You have a clear and notable distaste for the lower classes While all nobles support some form of class division you demand it refusing to soil your self with the common ilk. Only characters with the Nobility Merit can take this Flaw. Your character cannot initiate conversation with non-Nobles easily and must make a Wisdom Draw (vs. 11) to stay in the room with one.

Temper: (2 points)- You tend to get pretty angry when insulted, and you lose the majority of your courtesy as well. You recieve a -2 penalty to Charm draws while angry.

True Believer: (3 points) Pick a cause, any cause. When that cause is used against you in a social situation or when it is used in order to convince you to a course of action (Do it for Country, The Church, The Guild etc) you suffer a –3 penalty to resist Charm based game effects.

You Owe: (3 points) You owe someone or some organization a debt that is so great it can never be paid off. You must sacrifice one of your Influence traits each month to repay your debt. For every Influence that you have at 5 you must donate an additional influence.

''Example: Captain Delacru takes the True Believer (SCARS) Flaw, the Sinister Flaw, and the Deadly Enemy (The Order) Flaw giving him a total of 10 points in Flaws. With those ten points he purchased the Merits Noble, Noble Elite, and Nefarious. Having no points left over no Skills were adjusted. ''

Character Level & after Generation adjustment/advancement- "Gonna make level 2 next con.."
Of course not all characters are equal and some are more advanced than others. To ensure some cast balance and to give players something to work for we have Character Level. Character Level helps establish a gauge of character power level and importance in play. Like everything else in this system Character Level run 1-5 with 5 ebeing the highest Level and character can achieve. When generating your character your Character may recieve some Bonus Build Points to help augment their statistics on the character sheet. In addtion everytime your character attends and particpates in SCARS/Order storyline events you have the chance to advance in Character Level and each advance in character level earns your Bonus Build Points to use on your character as well. Here's a the current Build Bonuses in the SCARS/Order storyline:

Age Category C: 15 points

Age Category D: 25 points Some Characters should start out more advanced than Level One due to their positions and expertise at the start of this storyline. Recommened starting Level Adjustments for characters is as follows:

Ship/Vessel Captain (Rookie): Level 2

Ship/Vessel Captain (Experienced): Level 3

SCARS/Order Higher Up: Level 4

SCARS/Order Major NPC: Level 5

Once your character has gained Bonus Build Points through event attendence or Level adjustment you may "spend" said points to improve your character in the following ways:

Bonus Build Point cost to increase an Ability– the increased Ability Total Multiplied by three. Abilities have a maximum of 5.

Bonus Build Point cost to increase a Skill– equal to the increased Skill total. Skills have maximum of 5.

Bonus Build Point cost to add a Merit– double the cost of the Merit at Character Creation

Bonus Build Point cost to add a Flaw– GM’s discretion

Bonus Build Point cost to add a Gadget, Elixir, Wonder– the Level of the Gadget, Elixir, Wonder multiplied by three. You must be of proper Level to purchase a new Gadget, Elixir, Wonder.

All adjustments and changes made to the character should be done in a manner in which the points are accounted for clearly. Note this system is deals with such a small amount of points that fudging or cheating the system would be quickly noticed and isn't really worth it.

Example: Since Captain Delacru is considered a senior memeber of the SCARS Resistance he has been judged at Level 4 for Character Generation awarding him 30 Bonus Build points which he spends in the following manner.

Increasing the Wisdom Ability to a 2 (2x3=6 Build Points)

Increasing the Might Ability to a 3 (3x3=9 Build Points)

Increasing the Stamina Ability to a 2 (2x3=6 Build Points)

Starting the Endurance Skill at 1 (1 Build Point)

Increasing the Endurance Skill to 2 (2 Build Points)

Increasing the Marksmanship Skill to 3 (3 Build Points)

Increasing the Occult Skill to 3 (3 Build Points)

Total Build Points Spent; 30

Gadgets, Elixirs, and Wonders- "Check out my coolness.."
The extra touches that make a character worthy of adventure and roleplay are the special touches that our imagination add for our enjoyment. The fantastic element that takes our idea into the heroic storytelling realm can be dificult thing to manage with numerous people all acting their vision of Steampunk science and supernatural.

To establish statistical consistancy in the playing area and create a standard for character

comparison in the SCARS/Order storyline these story effects that



your character can accomplish will be listed as Gadgets, Elixirs, or Wonders. You are allowed to pocess up to 15 of these for story RP pruposes under this system. All Gadgets, Elixirs, or Wonders are rated Levels 1-5. To limit over powering characters you are limited to three Gadgets, Elixirs, or Wonders per Level on your character for RP purposes. Characters may sacrifice upper level Gadgets, Elixirs, or Wonders to equip lowers but may not exchange lower level Gadgets, Elixirs, or Wonders for higher ones. The number of these you may have is determined by your character level.

GADGETS-
Any item, armor, or weapon you are carrying or wearing may be classified as a a Gadget. These are literally the pieces of your costume that you have crafted for the con! Gadgets simply provide bonuses to the skill or Ability score that they compliment. The strength of Gadgets is while they may not be as powerful as supernatural effects they aren't permenant such as Wonders and any side effects are far less severe than internal Elixirs.

GADGET TABLE-

Level 1- (Prodcue a +2 Bonus on related Skill or Ability, and Damage Rating of Weapon) Basic firearms, primary tools, day to day objects, simple machines. smaller devices producing smaller effects.

Level 2- (Produce a +4 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels added by armor) Military grade firearms, complex tools, hard to find objects, multicomponent machines. mid range devices producing managable effects.

Level 3- (Produce a +6 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels added by armor) Elite grade firearms, specialist tools, exotic objects, fine tooled machines. Rarely seen devices producing impressive effects.

Level 4- (Produce a +8 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels added by armor) Custom firearms, finely tuned tools, rare objects, alternate power machines. Limited Production devices producing unpredictable effects.

Level 5- (Produce a +10 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels added by armor) Experiemental firearms, purpose designed tools, one of a kind objects, custom built machines. Unique devices producing unique effects.

ELIXIRS-
The imbibing of liquids through any form (drank, injected, or inhaled) is covered in system with Elixirs. Potions, serums, toxins, poisons, gases, etc. are all included in the Elixir cataegory of game effects your character can have. As with gadgets Elixirs can swaped out between events but you do need to represent the Elixir with a prop of some kind in play just as Gadget users must have the Gadget on them. Elixirs may be transferred between players like Gadgets but have more powerful effects like Wonders. However Elixirs come with side effects that can hurt players without planning and compensation. Plus Elixirs are only temporarily effective.

Level 1- (Produce a +3 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels, Suffer a mandatory -1 on the Ability of your choice for 1 hour) These Elixirs produce effects of slight benefit, their side effects easily concealed.

Level 2- (Produce a +5 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels, Suffer a mandatory -2 on the Ability of your choice 2 hours) These Elixirs produce the maxxium desired effect in the realm of normal performance, their side effects may be conceled with some effort.

Level 3- (Produce a +7  Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels, Suffer a mandatory -3 on the Ability of your choice for 3 hours ) These Elixirs produce effects that, their side effects are difficult to hide.

Level 4- (Produce a +9  Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels, Suffer a mandatory -2 on the two Abilities of your choice for 4 hours) These Elixirs produce effects of noticable and rapid nature, their side effects are very visible.

Level 5- (Produce a +12 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels, Suffer a mandatory -3 on the two Abilities of your choice for 5 hours) These Elixirs produce incredible effects and come with serious consequences. At this level this Elixir has Jekel and Hyde effects so be aware.

WONDERS-
Any wonderous game effect achieved in game by non mechanical or chemical means is classified as a Wonder under this system. Magic (White and Black), lycanthropy, sorcery, curses, psionic phenomenon, wizardry, and other forms of mystical and magical effects are covered by Wonders. Wonders are more powerful than Gadgets and have no side effects like Elixirs but they are permenant and once selected may not be swapped out.

Level 1- (Produce a +3 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels) Magical effects at this level are minor cantrips and assistance spells for cleaning objects or lighting fires. Magical creatures working at this Level are weak and young.

Level 2- (Produce a +5 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels) Magical effects at this level are noticeable and are considered "practical magic". The summoning of a weapon or mental messaging of a a ally across great distance are examples of this. Magical Creatures at this Level are more than novice and can survive on their own but lack in depth knowledge of their special abilities.

Level 3- (Produce a +7 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels) Magical effects at this level are primnarily aggressive and defensive. Minor fire and lightening attacks are found here. Personal protection spells and mind altering effects are commonly Level 3 as well. Magical Creatures at this level are comfortable with their existence and have mastered their special skills.

Level 4- (Produce a +9  Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels) Magical effects at this level are powerful bidings and forces. The stealing of souls, the opening of portals to other worlds, the shooting of large fireballs is possible at this level. Miraculous healing aides are common in Level 4. Magical Creatures at this level have instinctive control over their special abilities.

Level 5- (Produce a +11 Bonus on related Skill, Ability, Damage Rating of Weapon or Damage Levels) Magical effects at this level are awe inspiring. The raising of the dead, the making of new vampires, the forced summoning of beings from other worlds are possible at this Level. Magical creatures at this level are usually elder vampires and Archmages. Large multi-character effecting spells and massive supernatural effects are represented by Level 5.

''Example: Captain Delecru is set as a senior member of the SCARS Renegade Fleet and as such is a Level 4 Character. He reviews his options and decides to permantly fill two spaces on his list as Wonders benefiting his characters at Levels 2 and 3. The rest of his list is all gadgets developed or acquired by the Neo Dulcimer.''

How It works Mechanically "I shot you, No really I did.."
The Game System outlined here is all centered around the use of a card deck as a random number generator for the purposes of determining game random effects (such as who shot who) and runs off of some very basic principles.

The Card Deck. The basic playing tool of all GLAS players is a standard 52 card poker deck with two Jokers and the four standard poker suits of clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Some facets of the Game System refer to “Red Suits and Black Suits” since decks of cards no longer have standardized colorings hearts and diamonds will still be considered “Red” and clubs and spades will still be considered “Black” regardless of what color they are on your cards.

Types of Card Draws.
There are two main types of card draws in GLAS.

Contested Draws where the player character is in conflict with another player character or a non player character.

Difficulty Draws Where the Player character is attempting to achieve a specific action or occurrence and must match or exceed a target number set by the Game Master to represent the difficulty of the task. These Draws occur most often in the use of Skills.

Step One; Determine Scene
The Player initiating the action must do so by stating “Contested Draw” and pointing at their target. A Game Master will step in to adjudicate the drawing of the cards and ask the initiating player their intent. For the players this is to be considered a rapid series of actions that make up a “scene” The Game Master will determine possible involvement for any players in the scene and then alert those players determined to be in the scene to any effects or conditions of the scene. The scene will be resolved in a series of “rounds” of action the order of which will be determined by a number called “Initiative”.

Step Two; Determine Initiative
All involved characters draw a card and add to their Agility Attribute announcing their total. This number is the character’s Initiative it shows where their actions will fall in the sequence of the scene. Player characters who have the same Initiative will resolve their actions simultaneously.

Step Three; Countdown and Action
The Game Master will begin Initiative count down at the highest stated Initiative and as each number is called the player has the option to perform a action by alerting the Game Master and stating their action or to simply remain silent and choose to do nothing. The Game Master should wait at least 3 seconds at each Initiative and listen for a player to speak up but should not wait through more than 5 seconds of dead silence. The game needs to keep moving.

If a player chooses to take an action at his/her Initiative then the player should point to their Target and declare their intent. The Game Master will adjudicate the card draw between the two players as well as place any restrictions or give bonuses to the participants based on the circumstances of the scene. Both players draw and add the card number to the appropriate Ability and Skill on their Character Sheet. The Players producing the highest result wins the Draw and achieves their desired result. Once those actions are concluded the Game Master will continue the countdown until all Initiative numbers have been called and each player involved in the scene has had the same opportunity outlined above. If players take no action and remain silent through the end of the Initiative countdown they are understood to have done nothing for this round.

Step Four; Second Action
Any Player Character with a Agility of 4 or 5 can perform a Second Action after the countdown for the first actions has been completed. If multiple player characters have this ability then use the Initiative countdown to determine the order of all Second Actions. Second Actions may only be physical in nature such as combat maneuvers or athletic activity.

Second Actions are resolved in Initiative order as outlined in Step Three.

Step Five; Resolution
Once Second Actions are completed the Game Master determines the final outcome of the scene including any adjustments that need to be made to character sheets and determines whether the scene has completed Contested Draw status allowing the player to return to normal role play or if further rounds of Contested Draws are necessary. If Draws continue the players will continue to use their original Initiative order rather than generating a new one using the process outlined in Step Three and Four until the scene is determined to be completed.

Step One Determine Scene
The Player wishing to perform complex action requiring the use of Skills on their character Sheet requests to do so with the supervision of a Game Master. The Game Master must be alerted of any and all player characters participating in the scene.

Step Two Determine Difficulty
The GM listens to the desired action of the player character and sets a Difficulty total based on the circumstances of the scene and the difficulty of task being preformed.

Step Three Draw and Compare
The player character draws a card and adds the value of the card to the appropriate Ability plus the appropriate Skill on their Character Sheet. The Player character produces a total equal to or greater than the Difficulty total stated by the GM he/she succeeds. If the total is less than the Difficulty total the player character fails.

Step Four Resolution
Once the success or failure of the Difficulty Draw is determined the Game Master tells the participating player characters the results of the attempt Skill use in scene. Should the Draw be successful by a considerable excess of the Difficulty total then the results may be extra helpful to the player character that performed the Draw. Like wise should the Draw fail by a considerable measure then the player character should receive no benefit or possibly a false and misleading outcome.

Combat and Damage Level
The Combat system for GLAS is very simple. Players participate in Contested Draws where their declared actions are violent acts against living targets (including other players). Draws precede as any other Contested Draw with the following additional concerns.

To hit a target in hand to hand combat: The attacker must make a Draw using their Might + the appropriate Skill + a card Draw vs. the target’s Agility + Dodge Skill+ a Card Draw. If the attacker succeeds then the target subtracts the attacker’s Might plus a weapons Damage Rating from their Damage Levels on their sheet.

To hit a target with a thrown weapon: The attacker must make a Draw using their Might + the Throw Skill + a card Draw vs. the target’s Agility + Dodge Skill+ a Card Draw. If the attacker succeeds then the target subtracts half the attacker’s Might plus a weapons Base Damage from their Damage Levels on their sheet.

To hit a target with a ballistic weapon: The attacker must make a Draw using their Agility or Intelligence + the Markmanship Skill + a card Draw vs. the target’s Agility + Dodge Skill+ a Card Draw. If the attacker succeeds then the target subtracts the weapons Base Damage plus a Card Draw from their Damage Levels on their sheet. Characters with a Stamina Ability of 3 or better may reduce the Damage Levels they receive by their Stamina Ability total. Should any character be reduced to 0 Damage Levels then they are dead. Under this system you can be shot in the head and killed in one shot. Think of the first Draw as your character taking the shot at a person sized target and the second Draw as telling you where it hit. If your Marksmanship is a 5 you may replace the DR of your weapon with a DR of 5 twice per con.

''A .22 caliber pistol has a Damage rating of 2. Add this to a card draw of a King (13) and the target has taken 15 damage. Draw a Joker (+10) and a King (13) plus the DR of 2, you have done 25 points of damage to the target and they are dead.''

Combat Modifiers:
The GM may increase or decrease any Card Draw made in combat (Including Damage) to accommodate mitigating factors such as environment, distance, difficulty, surprise, etc. As always Game Master decisions on modifiers are final and are to be respected by all players. In addition the Game Master has the right to refuse any action that is wasteful of time, unnecessary, or creating a negative play experience for another player and recommend another action that achieves game progress and moves the combat scene along.Players are expected to know their Character Sheets and the effects of their Merits, Flaws, and any other modifiers from equipment or game effects. Players are to inform the GM at the beginning of the scene of these effects. Action scenes must move quickly and not become bogged down slowing the session with excessive rules reference or back tracking. Players are encouraged to know their rules and assist other players in completing combat resolution quickly.

Range and Area Effects in Combat: Modifiers for range to target and area effects such as defensive cover and obscured line of sight are completely at GM discretion.

The Effects of Armor in Combat: Items worn for the protection of the Characters are considered Armor and grant the wearer additional Damage Levels in combat in addition to any other modifiers received due to a Gadget Options.

Damage Level: Players struck for more than 3 Damage Levels worth of damage in one initiative round have suffered serious injuries and will gain another level of “bleeding” damage every 15 minutes after the end of contested Draws are completed until a successful Medicine Difficulty Draw vs. 10 is performed to stop the bleeding.

Damage Effects: As a character’s Damage Level reduces he/she suffers negative effects based on the chart below. These negative effects are permanent and once suffered require the expenditure of Bonus Build Points to correct. Bonus Build Point expenditure to repair damage from combat follows the same costs as character would normally.

Conclusion
The above is a very fast and loose system designed to be unobtrusive and a compliment to a player base that already has a clear ideas of what they wish their characters could do. These mechanics and really any system used with the SCARS/Order storyline should be adpative to these concerns and remeber that the fun of the event is the ultimate goal.