Matrix Hero

[Chris Goodwin]

Originally posted by Heroman
Really, I think Hero is one of the better systems to run a Matrix style game in. The whole EDM and alternate Matrix world is not complex; heck the real world is where you probably have virtually (ha!) no work in creation since people are so isolated.

So you want to stat out agents, coppertops, other free minds, etc., all in Hero terms? That's a lot of work.

As far as VPPs and scale, I do not see huge VPPs. One thing which has not been mentioned is 'how much can 1 person know at once anyways'?
Yeah, they can learn MA, insta-pick up helicopter piloting, but how many skills can they concurrently know? I am guessing not alot and they have probably never pressed themselves too hard, being able to DL skills on the fly.

Neo spent 10 hours downloading skills and immediately went into a long fight with Morpheus in the Construct. I'd say he was pressing himself pretty hard. We don't have any indication that there is any maximum number of skills one person can download. The next movie might make it clear, then again it might not. I don't know that a VPP is the best mechanic for handling skill downloads.

The main reason I say Hero is not appropriate is because Hero goes into way too much detail.

The thing is, for as much work as I'd have to do to run a Matrix Hero game, I could write a game from scratch that would do it a lot better. Besides, there are already others out there that could do a lot of what the Matrix would require, and would take a lot less work than Hero.

[Markdoc]

Hmm. Actually, it strikes me as pretty simple to run a game in the Matrix setting.

Give everyone 150 point characters. Let them buy a VPP (only usable in the Matrix, +0) into which you can put skills, talents and characteristics (with NCM and a -1/2 limit reflecting the need to download them). You might also want to include Superleap as an available power :-) - but I figure that's just a reflection of increased STR.

Players who enter the Matrix don't need to buy any special skills to do so - that's all handled by the crapload of electronics back at the base/ship, wherever.

You end up with your normal body - puny weeds in real life are puny weeds (at least in appearance) in the Matrix - athough they could still kick butt, if they took the appropriate downloads. Neo looks like Neo, whether he wants to or not.

For the rest, use Dark Champions. Neo - being the Hero - gets a wider range of powers in his pool and much more points to play with. In fact, most of the people on Morpheus' team were hotshots, so going down to 100 points for the players - they get all their gear for free - might make sense.

Agents get essentially the same setup, more points for super-impressive physical stat.s plus the "transform a host" power (I assume surveillance and "altering the world" is handled by the machines in the background). You get agents for top of the line opponents (and there's a limitless supply of them!) cops and thugs for low level opponents and elite military forces for middle of the road opponents.

Seems like it would work pretty well for me.

cheers, Mark

[RDU Neil]

Originally posted by Markdoc
Hmm. Actually, it strikes me as pretty simple to run a game in the Matrix setting.

Give everyone 150 point characters. Let them buy a VPP (only usable in the Matrix, +0) into which you can put skills, talents and characteristics (with NCM and a -1/2 limit reflecting the need to download them). You might also want to include Superleap as an available power :-) - but I figure that's just a reflection of increased STR.

Players who enter the Matrix don't need to buy any special skills to do so - that's all handled by the crapload of electronics back at the base/ship, wherever.

You end up with your normal body - puny weeds in real life are puny weeds (at least in appearance) in the Matrix - athough they could still kick butt, if they took the appropriate downloads. Neo looks like Neo, whether he wants to or not.

For the rest, use Dark Champions. Neo - being the Hero - gets a wider range of powers in his pool and much more points to play with. In fact, most of the people on Morpheus' team were hotshots, so going down to 100 points for the players - they get all their gear for free - might make sense.

Agents get essentially the same setup, more points for super-impressive physical stat.s plus the "transform a host" power (I assume surveillance and "altering the world" is handled by the machines in the background). You get agents for top of the line opponents (and there's a limitless supply of them!) cops and thugs for low level opponents and elite military forces for middle of the road opponents.

Seems like it would work pretty well for me.

cheers, Mark

I agree, Mark. The only characters you'd have to "stat out" would be the Agents in whatever special powers they have. All the others are normals, with more or less skill levels and equipment. It's like running a Danger Internation/Spy campaign... or a cyberhero campaign. Most of the flashy stuff is special effects. Most villains work off of one "gun guy" sheet which you tweak in the game as appropriate.

Any "Heroic level" NCM game is easy, because all characters are very similar in stats to each other... only skill sets differ. The Matrix gets hinky, because you introduce superpowers, essentially, but that is no worse than any other supers game... in fact easier, because the powers are limited to wild martial arts, for the most part.

Piece o' cake. It's all in the telling, not the stats.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

As for the 'insta-downloading' bit, 'strongly suggest' that they each buy one or three levels of Cramming. If you note, Trinity didn't combat pilot the helicopter all that well; about what you'd expect with an 8-.

Other than that, they should buy the appropriate (mostly combat) skills with the -1/4 (-1/2?) limitation 'Only In The Matrix', but any knowledge skills they have, generally any non-combat skills they have -- mechanics, electronics, etc. -- should work in both worlds. If you're going to permit a VPP or a MPow of some type, I recommend the MultiPower -- things the character learns as s/he goes along. Being faster, stronger, leaping from tall building to tall building in a single bound ... you are what you think, but one generally can only think about one (or a few) thing(s) at a time. In ALL cases the GM should have close control of what goes into each pool -- maybe 'purchasing' an ability requires RP and an Ego roll, to 'break free' a bit more.

[Publius]

Just some thoughts on the Matrix Hero concept generally,

Short Form:
Generally, I'd set up the Matrix as a dual game world, with each player having both a "Base" and a "Matrix" character. Switching between the Real World and the Matrix does not require any powers, skills, rolls whatever because it is simply an integral part of the setting as Markdoc suggested above (conversely, those born outside of the Matrix in Zion would have the Physical Limitation "Cannot Enter Matrix" at whatever value the GM deems appropriate), save of course for the well-defined limitations set by the world (no leaving the Matrix unless you use a land-line to do so etc.). However, Players have additional points to spend on their Matrix selves for the cool "in the Matrix" powers and heightened "beyond normal ken" abilities. GM's might want to help here by having some set powers to use as examples ("Super-leap", "Advanced Kung Fu" bonuses to OCV/DCV, etc.) and maybe some Matrix-only Characteristic limitations for starting PCs.

Specifics:
I would have players make their "base character" with a normal range of characteristics, including the skills they want their characters to have all of the time (whether they were initially downloaded or not as with Neo). I'd set these characters in the 'heroic' point values, whatever you'd like but make sure that they have NCM (which you may want to simply make a default for no points). The characters should have a good number of skills, so you might make them with higher points than you might for what are otherwise 'normal' folks (for example, pushing the point totals from 75/75 'standard' characters to 125/125 'Very powerful' characters having the stipulation that no less than 50 points may be spent in skills). Don’t forget the Kung Fu. Basically, any skill that a player wants their character to have on a more or less consistent basis – from adventure to adventure – should be given to the 'base character'.

The players then make their "Matrix character" by starting with their base characters (thanks to "Residual Self Image") and adding a hundred points (or 50, 75, 125, etc. as your GM deems appropriate). These Matrix versions of the characters have added Characteristics for SPD, STR, BOD whatever, up to a Matrix Characteristic Maxima (say 25 or 30 in selected physical stats for starting PCs, more as they get experience) plus the obligatory +2 or more in COM (going from the grungy real world to the idealized I-get-to-wear-whatever-I-like Matrix). You can make all of these purchases with the limitation "Only in the Matrix" for a -1/2, or leave that limitation off entirely since these characters can only operate in the Matrix anyway. Skills would either be VPP's or Cramming with OSL's (with the "Only in the Matrix" limitation slapped on) to increase their values (whatever the GM prefers). I'd not require any points for gear, but that's just me. The Loading Program/Construct allows the characters to get any sort of guns/equipment they seem to need and this nicely offsets the raw power of the Agents.

[Heroman]

Actually, it only looked like skills (including MA) were the only things one could pick up from a download (tho I still have not seen the next movie ); the superleap and their fortitude seemd pretty static (though possible to grow in strength from training). I would set aside a VPP for skills for 'downloadables', but the size depends on how you look at learned skills. It seems ambiguous on how many skills one can learn, if you ever 'flush out' skills to make room for new ones, but from a game mechanics I would suggest this. Maybe have a 12-21 point VPP just for downloadable skills representing a PC's fluxuating skills, with the rest pretty much 'hard wired' into him. The initial download would simply be the expending of his initial CPs for character creation. For more static people, 3-4 Cramming would do, also, but mean his skillset is more locked down.
All non-skill abilities should just be flat out purchased outside a VPP since they do not fluxuate other than improve with experience.
This would definately have the Darm Champions feel and I agree with not purchasing equipment themselves; if eq costs CPs, then I would have them all chip into the base (location in a city or a ship) which provides the items.
I do not know if cops would prove a contestable opponent; they seemed to be chewed thru easily. Agents are pretty indestructable, so there may need to be a new middle level opponent which could challenge the group and overcome.
I would expect people have a ugly big PD, Stun, End but NO matrixed rPD/rED; a bullet hurts em. They take massive pummeling but conventional weapons seemed only to be stopped by equipment.

[Chris Goodwin]

Some spoiler space.....

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Okay. In Hero, how would you write up Neo's ability to fight a hundred Agent Smiths?

[Markdoc]

It looked like fighting 100 agent Smiths was simply like fighting 1 agent Smith just multiple times....

But scenes like that one were why I suggested that you could also add CHA into the VPP. Matrix'ers are clearly faster, stronger, better dressed than the average person - as indeed are agents.

[Heroman]

Lol, or as a DF

"Say, that guy looks sooooo cool! He must be a Matrixer or agent!"

[Blue]

How to fight 100 Agent Smiths:

Area effect attack, small radius around the character, personal immunity. Just apply a different HTH ass-kicking special effect to each of the individuals.

[Publius]

Don't forget the extra knockback. Smacking people around, into walls, into other Mr. Smith's etc. is important. Buying a significant chunk of HA with the variable advantage might be a way to go too, although that can get real expensive real fast.

Could you buy a series of naked power advantages for STR to use in HTH in an Multipower pool for "Matrix Martial Arts Moves"? I don't have FrED with me at the moment. Even if using naked power advantages this way is one of those things that are normally questionable, it might be an acceptable exception for the Matrix game setting.

[RDU Neil]

A lot of the 100 Agent Smith's battle could come down to maneuvers. Remember... Champions/Hero doesn't have to be about buying complicated powers and advantages all the time.

Sweep... Defense Maneuver... Acrobatics... all of these would represent the majority of what Neo pulls off against multiple Agent Smiths... not to mention, a higher SPD so he gets more attacks.

Neo and Smith were roughly equal until the end of the first movie. In this one, Smith has new abilities, but Neo is clearly, faster, stronger, tougher and more skilled than any one Smith.

Don't over complicate stuff. Most of that fight was in the basic combat rules... the rest is special effects and very common skills and stats.

[Doug McCrae]

Inside the Matrix, your powers depend solely on strength of will. So we only need one stat - Ego, or as I call it, Psyche, from the 1980s Marvel superheroes rpg. I've developed a complex mathematical system using logarithms to derive all other powers from Psyche...

[Chris Goodwin]

I'm wondering about using Mental Illusions to represent the Matrix. They'd need to be at the Takes STUN, Takes BODY, Removes Target From Real World level.

[Blue]

Originally posted by Doug McCrae
Inside the Matrix, your powers depend solely on strength of will. So we only need one stat - Ego, or as I call it, Psyche, from the 1980s Marvel superheroes rpg. I've developed a complex mathematical system using logarithms to derive all other powers from Psyche...

Here's my take: To start, like Neo, you don't have any special skills or abilities because you are handcuffed in the matrix by the same perception of yoruself as you would have in real life. So a superhero jacking into the matrix might have the same superpowers he had in the real world. But to do matrixy effects one would have to be taught to lose their misconception of how the world works. This means that in my game, any heroes plugging in will be able to do thier own abilities like in the real world, but if they want to do more than that they'll actually have to spend experience and buy skills/powers with a limitation specific to only working inside the matrix. "Blue" is built entirely this way. She is normal in the real world, but has learned to go beyond that in the net, since she practically lives there, and therefore has all sorts of neo-esque abilities that she can't do when awakened into the real world.

She also has special SPD and DEX bought for only in the net, with the special effect that it's the product of having actual cyber-jacks, as compared to everyone else who has to use electrode-type hookups (and who operate at their normal real-world speed when in the matrix).

I've had this character concept for seven years now and only refined it since the first matrix came out. Now that I'm finally getting around to runnng it as an NPC, it almost seems totally borrowed because of Reloaded.