How do you build characters

[Cassandra]

I've built a series of Characteristic Templates, Skill Sets, and Power Templates based on the Brick, Energy Projector, Gadgeteer, Martial Artist, Mentalist, Metamorph, Mystic, Patriot, Powered Armor, Speedster, and Weapons Master Archetypes.  Using these are a basis I can quickly come up with any type of superhero.

[dsatow]

1 hour ago, Cassandra said:

I've built a series of Characteristic Templates, Skill Sets, and Power Templates based on the Brick, Energy Projector, Gadgeteer, Martial Artist, Mentalist, Metamorph, Mystic, Patriot, Powered Armor, Speedster, and Weapons Master Archetypes.  Using these are a basis I can quickly come up with any type of superhero.

 

That's great and all, but the question is really how do you come up with the templates and what motives do you use to flesh out your characters.  

[Cassandra]

I have created a Superhero Universe where powered people have always existed.  The Ancient Gods existed, and many are still around.  They had children over the centuries, and those descendants have powers.  This avoided having to come up with an explanation of why people have powers.  Sometimes people don't have powers until they are exposed to some element that triggers them.  Because there are people with powers including super-intelligence technology is higher then in our reality.

 

All my characters existed in this universe.   There are basically two types of costumed adventurers, Crime Fighters, and Superheroes.  Superheroes have powers even if they come from technology.   Crime Fighters are more human but use martial arts or special weapons to match superheroes.

[LouisGoncey]

I used to be a powergamer. During the last decade I switched over to building characters to simulate ‘real’ people. That is one of the reasons HERO has become such a favorite.

Edited December 25, 2017 by LouisGoncey
Correct spelling

[assault]

I build characters at the pub*, without reference to the rules.

 

Like Cassandra I use templates, although in my case it's more like "a" template, I don't have it written down and carry it in my head. (I did have an earlier version written down but I've changed things a lot since then).

 

A typical character takes about 10 minutes. More if I have trouble with Complications/Disadvantages. Naturally, I double check them for rules compliance later, but that's rarely an issue.

 

My character concepts tend to be vague. For example: "a character with mobile hair".

 

I assign a character at least one each of the following: a Offensive ability, a Defensive ability and a Movement ability. I'll often add some miscellaneous stuff as well. I originally wrote "power" in each case where "ability" appears in the previous sentence. I made the replacement because characteristics or skills will often be used instead of powers.

 

My point budgeting is based on the suggestions included in the old 2e/3e rulebooks, with modifications for differing power levels, and more recently, for the loss of figured characteristics when I'm using 6e. (I don't usually, but can when I have to).

 

So I'll block in Dex, Con, PD, ED and Spd according to what matches the character concept. (The mobile hair character would probably have fairly high Dex/Spd and moderate Con). I'd make allowances for a character with mental powers at this stage too. I'll usually leave Figured characteristics alone at this point. In 6e I'll set formerly figured characteristics to comparable levels.

 

Then I'll fill in Int, Pre, Com (where appropriate) and skills/perks/talents.

 

This will typically add up "about right".

 

I'll then tune things, including filling in the bits I skipped. This can actually push things past the ten minute mark - but I'll usually have a playable draft within ten.

 

I generally leave Complications/Disadvantages a bit vague, only finalizing them once I know more about the world the character is supposed to be operating in.

 

Fluff text and art are added later. I leave motivations vague and flesh them when relevant.

 

My characters are generally pretty simple. I don't find there's much benefit in complicating things.

 

I am quite willing to crib bits from other sources - USPD, Gadgets and Gear, Champions Powers, other books, other peoples' characters etc. When I do that I usually just allocate a block of points and fill in the details later.

 

---

* Not always literally.

 

 

[Surrealone]

How I build characters doesn't fit into any of the given categories, so I didn't vote. Key to this is that I build as follows (and in this order):

1. I choose my archetype (e.g. Energy Projector, Brick, Martial Artist, Speedster, Mentalist, etc.) based on team need -- to fill holes in the team with minimal invasiveness to another player's 'schtick'.  i.e. If we have a cold-based Energy Projector and we need a Brick, I'd make a Brick and avoid a cold-based theme for the character since that's someone else's theme.
2. Once my archetype is chosen and GM-approved, I write up a background to flesh out the concept.
3. Next I buy everything and anything for the character that I feel makes sense for it at a given eyeballed play level (e.g. heroic, powerful heroic, very powerful heroic, superheroic, powerful superheroic) - without any consideration for actual point totals.
4. Next, I tally up the point totals and begin shaving things down to fit within the game's limits -- by tossing out things I think I can live without (since I usually find I'm over the starting point value for the campaign).  Note: I record everything I toss out and then prioritize that list ... yielding a character advancement plan I can use later.
5. Next, I point-crunch the character per the principles taught to players in 2nd Edition by the famed Goodman School of Cost Effectiveness, catching the round everywhere it makes sense for the character , since this sort of optimization is actually part of the game (else it'd not have been taught to players in 2E, right?).
6. Once I've done my point-crunch, I see how many CP I managed to scare up, and then I re-buy things I initially tossed out as part of step #4 ... pulling from the top of the advancement list based on what I can afford to bring back into the character.

 

Worth mentioning is that I sometimes end up iterating on #5 and #6, depending on what I brought back into the character as part of #6 and whether it needs to be and/or can be re-crunched.

[assault]

31 minutes ago, Surrealone said:

5. Next, I point-crunch the character per the principles taught to players in 2nd Edition by the famed Goodman School of Cost Effectiveness, catching the round everywhere it makes sense for the character , since this sort of optimization is actually part of the game, too (else it'd not have been taught to players in 2E, right?).

 

Oh, yeah. I should have mentioned that my characters are Goodman-ized to within an inch of their lives. That's one of the secrets behind being able to create templates - you're actually selecting from a small set of "magic numbers".

 

6e breaks it down a bit, but it has breakpoints too, and they are usually pretty close to the old ones. (28 Dex rather than 29, for example).

[Beast]

Something has to inspire me, it could be a .....

picture

miniture

character from some form of media
a theme or power set

[Ninja-Bear]

I use to build “realistic” types. Oh well I’m supposed to be normal so I’ll be only speed 4.  I use to by characteristics based on what I saw and then do the opposite. For example, everyone has STR 18, I’ll buy it at 17. (At this point I didn’t have 2e/3e so I knew nothing of Goodman). In 6th, it’s nice and easier to buy characteristics that fit a concept. I.e. I bought a speedster 31 DEX because I use the given benchmarks and 31 is in the realm of superhuman.

[Cassandra]

One of the first characters I built was inspired by Ms. Marvel.  There was a movie called Hero at Large with John Ritter, and in the movie there was a superhero called Captain Avenger.  I decided that Ms. Avenger was a good name, and built a character around that.  Sharon Wyatt played Tiffany Hill on General Hospital and in her honor I gave Ms. Avenger the secret identity of Tiffany Wyatt, FBI Special Agent.

[massey]

In my current group, I'm easily the most experienced Champions player.  The GM and I have played together for about 20 years, and I know exactly how he runs things, what his house rules are, and what comes up (and never comes up) in his games.  I've played just about every archetype you can play.  I've played bricks, blasters, martial artists, gadgeteers, just about everything.  I've played homages to my favorite characters, played Marvel and DC games where I got to play the actual characters.  I've played just about every role, from group leader to heavy-hitter.

 

Once upon a time, I was known as a pretty cheesy, munchkin-y player.  A few years ago, I was in the local game store and saw a group making characters for a Champions game.  When I offered to help some of the newer players make characters, the GM said "No!  You guys stay away from him.  You can't use any character he helps you build."

 

These days, I've basically retired from all that.  My personal life frequently interferes with game night, so it's not fair for me to have the big important role.  Newer players should get to play the Superman type.  I don't want to monopolize the spotlight anymore.  So today I normally build characters who are pretty limited, or have intentional holes in their power sets.  They're still basically "solo" characters, they all have attack, defense, and movement powers, as well as good skill selections.  But they're no longer total powerhouses.  The last few games I've purposefully built them to be the weakest in the group, at least as far as damage dice and defenses go.  I take it as a challenge as a player.

 

Actually, given that I know the system better than anybody else, my characters are still quite effective.  And generally I've been experimenting with non-traditional builds, avoiding high attacks and high defenses, going for weirder, more exotic powers.  I'm currently playing an Invisible Woman character.  15 PD and ED in a game where the average defense is in the 30s.  10D6 EB when the average attack is 13D6+.  Normal Speed, lower end of the combat values.  But I can turn invisible, and I can turn other people invisible.  And I can turn objects invisible (Images, 16" radius, -9 perception, only to make objects look like they aren't there).  And I have an 18/18 Force Wall, invisible to sight.    So not really a "weak" character by any normal definition, but nothing like what I've played historically.  Though I have been enjoying taking on a total supporting role.

 

--

 

When I'm designing a character, I think about what I want to play.  Obviously you build a brick differently than you build a shrinker.  I tend to give them decent characteristics, regardless of anything else (a hero should be able to clean house in a bar fight even without using their powers).  Then I think about if there are any unusual character build ideas I want to try.  What am I doing with this character that makes him different than everyone else I've built?  What things am I going to try with the system that I've never done before?  I'll look through the book, looking at powers that I've never paid much attention to before.  Can I do something interesting with, say, Gliding and Darkness?  (sometimes the answer is "no".)  Anything that is too game-breaking, or will be too big a pain for the GM, I eliminate (or I clear with the GM first).  I normally try for things that are easy to run, don't require a lot of record keeping, and don't need in-game rulings on how it works from the GM.  I'm kind of a lazy player.

 

Sometimes I build a character with one really good trick (like the Invisible Woman), and sometimes I go with more of a utility belt approach, a bunch of different useful little powers.  I'm lazy, and I'm also kind of impatient, so I want to be able to do something in most scenarios.  Having a lot of options for how the character can react helps keep things interesting.  I love Multipowers, even small ones can be very useful.

 

I build characters from the beginning with the following things in mind:  My characteristics should hit the efficiency breakpoints (3s and 8s, Dex should be a multiple of 3 minus one).  Strength is a multiple of 5 because I don't like half-dice.  I should have an OCV that's at least equal to the average DCV.  I should normally have at least a campaign average attack, something that is just pure D6, no fancy advantages.  My Def + Con should be high enough that I'm not getting Stunned by an average attack.  I should have enough End to run my powers for a full turn, and enough Stun to take at least two average attacks.  I should have a defensive power, an offensive power, and a movement power.  I try to put about 10% of my character points into non-combat skills (but I don't always get there).  Breakfall is a must unless I've got KB resistance.  Also I try to add in a specialty power or two that someone else in the group probably won't take.  An enhanced sense, missile deflection, dispel, things like that.  They're situational, but when that situation comes up, it's incredibly helpful.  I don't worry too much about specialty defenses (power defense, flash defense, lack of weakness), though if I do buy one, it'll normally be mental defense.  A 3 point combat level or two is always nice.  

[foolishvictor]

I always try to start from a concept and see where it takes me but the point total is important too just to try and keep things balanced.