Plain Trait Character Example 4

How well does Plain Trait Fudge handle a game with highly competent characters such as spies? We shall see...

Example 4

Step One: The GM is running an espionage thriller game inspired by the novels of Ian Fleming and the television show Honey West. He allots each character 20 trait levels.

Step Two: The GM limits allocation to no more than two Superb traits and two Terrible traits. All other trait levels are unlimited. Player A decides to play an agent who is a reformed cat burglar, choosing Stealth and Lockpicking/Safecracking. Specifying these traits automatically starts them at Fair, which is a total cost of 2 levels. Her character is an expert at these criminal activities (now used in the service of her country), so she spends 2 levels to raise Stealth to Great and 3 levels to raise Lockpicking/Safecracking to Superb. As an agent, she was trained in Self Defense, Marksmanship, and First Aid, which means she has these traits at Fair (at a cost of 1 level each). She spends 2 levels to raise Self Defense to Great and 1 level to raise Marksmanship to Good. Related to her criminal past, she gained knowledge of Mineralogy, Metallurgy, and Chemistry, so she spends 3 levels to acquire each at Fair. Looking to her outside interests, Player A decides her character has a passion for Dance and Acrobatics, both of which may assist her in covert missions. Specifying these traits, she has both at Fair (at a cost of 1 level each). She spends 2 levels and raises them to Good. Player A has now reached her limit of 20 levels, but she wants her character to be highly skilled in Acrobatics, so she must specify an extraordinarily low trait to balance it. She chooses Brawling at Poor. Although she can defend herself and is skilled with firearms, wading into a mêlée is not her style. She prefers to select her target, strike silently, and disappear before being noticed. (This is a valid trait to designate as extraordinarily low, since it is one that would otherwise conceivably be useful to her.) She spends the 1 level thus freed to raise Acrobatics to Great. Realizing that she forgot to specify an extraordinarily high ability at Driving, which would be desirable for a character who likes fast cars and performs well in high speed chases, she decides it would be appropriate to her old school field agent sensibilities to be Terrible at Computer Programming (Hacking). She can rely on other agents for that talent. This frees 2 levels to enable her to specify Driving at Good.

Step Three: The GM sets a minimum requirement of one complication. Player A specifies Born into a Family of Thieves.

Step Four: The GM sets a minimum requirement of one motivation. Player A specifies three: To Redeem Herself, To Reform Her Family, and To Serve Her Country.

Aurelia Brixton

Traits

Stealth: Great

Lockpicking/Safecracking: Superb

Self Defense: Great

Marksmanship: Good

First Aid: Fair

Mineralogy: Fair

Metallurgy: Fair

Chemistry: Fair

Dance: Good

Acrobatics: Great

Driving: Good

Brawling: Poor

Computer Programming: Terrible

 

Complications

Born into a Family of Thieves

 

Motivations

To Redeem Herself

To Reform Her Family

To Serve Her Country