How many points for starting PCs?

[CrosshairCollie]

An idea I'm milling about for when I wrap up Champions Battlegrounds, but I'm not sure how many points to start with.

 

It's more-or-less Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the first movie, or the RPG rather than any of the cartoon series). Not sure precisely what I'm going for as far as theme goes (government strike force, hunted vigilantes or whatnot). Here's what I'm working with so far.

 

1. Not messing with 'racial templates' or package deals; just build the character appropriately albeit with input (no 20PD/20ED Armor turtle shells or 6d6 HKA Porcupine quills). Disads are similarly flexible; your animal character may, or may not, have to deal with things like black-and-white vision, may or may not have Distinctive Features outside of 'mutant DNA'.

 

2. Standard Characteristic Maxima are in place, though larger animals can violate them via Growth or DI levels Inherent, Always On (House Rule, I know it's technically illegal, but the 'buy the stats up and use a Phys Lim' thing bothers me).

 

3. Equipment must be purchased with points, not cash or scavenged. You want a Desert Eagle, you have to pay points for it (and explain where you got it). Some tech is beyond what we have now, but it's pretty rare (normal cops use guns; a SWAT team in a huge city might have one or two experimental (read unreliable) blasters).

 

4. The only real 'powers' that would be available are psionics (an homage to the original TMNT game), wild martial arts stuff (like the Aid to DEX 'Array Fighting', possibly some Street Fighter-y Ki abilities), and super-skills like Inviso to Sound, RSR: Stealth. Some degree of 'super-science' will be around, as evidenced by the genetic engineering, but mostly it's real-world tech levels.

[Captain Obvious]

Re: How many points for starting PCs?

 

TMNT always seemed like low-powered supers to me. 200-250 pts seems appropriate.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: How many points for starting PCs?

 

TMNT always seemed like low-powered supers to me. 200-250 pts seems appropriate.

 

More or less what I was thinking, but wasn't sure since a lot of powers are going to be heavily limited (focussed, skill rolls and whatnot).

[Trebuchet]

Re: How many points for starting PCs?

 

More or less what I was thinking' date=' but wasn't sure since a lot of powers are going to be heavily limited (focussed, skill rolls and whatnot).[/quote']Except for the Turtles' weapons, what other abilities of theirs would be Focused or heavily limited?

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: How many points for starting PCs?

 

Except for the Turtles' weapons' date=' what other abilities of theirs would be Focused or heavily limited?[/quote']

 

Not necessarily the TMNT themselves (I doubt I'll set the game in that universe just to avoid aliens), just characters in the game in general. Stuff like ...

 

Vanish When Nobody's Looking: X" Teleport, Requires a Stealth Roll, must trace distance normally (whatever it's called), only while not being observed

 

Up The Walls: Clinging, sideways movement at 1/2 speed, no ceiling movement or angles less than 80 degrees, RSR: Climbing

 

Hide In Shadows: Invisibility to Normal Sight, only while not attacking, Requires a Concealment Roll, requires darkness

 

Tactical Coordination: +X Levels with all Combat, Useable By Others At Range, RSR: Tactics with skill vs skill (Tactics)

 

Berserker: Xd6 STR Aid, only when Enraged, points fade instantly when Enraged ends (Something pretty perfect for Raphael, IMHO, but I digress).

 

Most of those are incomplete builds, of course, but I think the point comes across.

 

Any psionic abilities will at least start heavily limited as well, with stuff like concentration, extra END, and that sort of thing, though it could be bought off in time, with practice.