I've been cradling FASERIP for bloody years and never got a game off the ground. There's a slim possibility i'll be able to next month.

However, one thing's always bugged me.

When do you use the Ability Modifier table in chargen? I can't for the life of me find a reference to it anywhere. As i only have the pdfs, i expect it's word blindness.

Hmm, Which table is this? Advanced Book I assume, got a page #?

Advanced players guide page 8.

Ah, ok. Its used for starting Resources and as an option for "normal humans" (all abilities default to Ty then roll on the table).

There might be a few other times its used, like during gadget creation or as a result of certain powers, but mainly its just a go-to resource for the Judge. I think it mentions using it for Character Modelling if the Judge simply isnt sure on a score.

Cheers.

It's also used if you're using their Chargen rules for certain Origin types specific to Race.

Some character types are built by using base stats and rolling the Stat Modification table to show how your character is "different".


That said - the chargen rules in FASERIP are pretty lame. I normally recommend using a point-buy like from the ClassicMarvel.com website. OR more normally - I just assign stats and powers by talking it over with my players to make sure they get generally what they want for a schtick. Random chargen in Marvel can get.... ugly.

Otherwise it's a fantastic system.

Sticking to the main book, random roll chargen is alright. Its when you add in the expanded rules from the Ultimate Powers book that things can get seriously wonky.

But yeah, I prefer character modelling. I just say to my players "make up a superhero", give guidelines for basic power level (Street-Level, Middle Class, Avengers, etc), and have them write up characters in the format of The Official Handbook series from the 80s. Then take a look and assign stats. Some discussion if needed, and occasionally some bartering, but all in all the actual application of rules generally only takes about 5 minutes.

Random Roll can be good when the player just has no idea what they want to play, though.

I like random chargen.

Quote from: One Horse Town;721794I like random chargen.

Yeah, I know a few people who swear by it, no matter the game.

As I said, sticking to the main book it works just fine. Perhaps letting players switch out for powers in the Ultimate Powers book of the same category rolled.

Quote from: TristramEvans;721796Yeah, I know a few people who swear by it, no matter the game.

As I said, sticking to the main book it works just fine. Perhaps letting players switch out for powers in the Ultimate Powers book of the same category rolled.

Be warned - Ultimate Powers (still to me one of the greatest Supers RPG supplements ever made!) was written before the Advanced Players Guide. So the powers there are not as streamlined as in the APG.

I definitely use it when I run FASERIP (which is my goto for Supers) - but I stick to the main APG as the final arbiter in terms of Stunts, and general rules.

A good example is that some of the powers in the APG are actually more comprehensive in scope - whereas the UPB is more granular. This makes choosing powers/rolling randomly for Chargen a bit more... tricky.

I have nothing against Random Chargen, but it breaks my heart to see players have a concept in their mind about what their hero does - and suddenly they have Prehensile Tail they weren't accounting for...

To each their own, of course!

It is also used for ability modifiers for Power Armor if you are Hitech hero and roll the body armor option--in fact that and resources are the only places that it explicitly references using the table that I recall..

The rolling for "Normal" humans is not something I've ever read, got a page reference? Because the Normal Human table actually allows stats up to Excellent (which is admittedly weak compared to other tables, and takes a high roll.)


Some fixes I've used over the years for random chargen: Let the player roll two extra powers. Ditch the two powers that are least thematic to the hero the player is coming up with. Give all heroes a free stunt with one of the powers they keep.

Roll only the power categories (which is actually an in game option) and pick the powers from the categories that builds the most interesting character you want to play.

Skip the UPB unless someone wants a power from that book, or needs a limited version of a power. (A lot of those powers really only work for villains...)

Let the character roll three characters--let them keep the one that fits the game the best (that includes power level, and themes)


I spent the weeks just before the holidays rolling up a bunch of random MSH characters..you wouldn't be running this online?

I agree with Silverlion. Random character generation, especially for supers, should not be treated as a lottery with winners and losers but as a source of inspiration. As such you pays to to give it a bit of flexibility.

Quote from: One Horse Town;721794I like random chargen.

I like random chargen a lot, too - it's my preferred mode for FASERIP, but only the Advanced book is well balanced enough to do it.

Ultimate Powers is a great resource, but the probability of randomly rolling fairy-tale character for a superhero game is just too high. Pixies, Centaurs and other mythological races end up taking about a third of the random table for Origins in the Ultimate Powers book. I'm sorry, but....void-controlling wood elf cyborg with cold-creation powers is a little too off-the-wall for me.

I stick to the Advanced book and use Ultimate Powers as a resource for some of its power options.

//Panjumanju

Quote from: Panjumanju;721863Ultimate Powers is a great resource, but the probability of randomly rolling fairy-tale character for a superhero game is just too high. Pixies, Centaurs and other mythological races end up taking about a third of the random table for Origins in the Ultimate Powers book. I'm sorry, but....void-controlling wood elf cyborg with cold-creation powers is a little too off-the-wall for me.

I stick to the Advanced book and use Ultimate Powers as a resource for some of its power options.

//Panjumanju

Yeah. I know, I love using it for ideas, but it really needs careful overwatch by the GM. Plus it has a HIGH number of cyborgs, robots, and the like--which doesn't actually make up that many heroes over all.

 It appears like they went through the Gamer's OHATMU and simply noted what origins/powers/etc they could grab, and a LOT of those characters are villains, or specifically unusual to be visually interesting.


Plus its kind of odd to roll up a "Normal Human" who has 15 powers....just saying.

Just to show how awesome random chargen is, i've just done one.

Harpocrates - Mutant

F Incredible (36)
A Remarkable (26)
S Good (
E Incredible (36) - increased from Remarkable (26) mutant background
R Incredible (36)
I Good (
P Poor (3)

Health: 106
Karma: 47
Resources: Typical (5) - business talent Good ( then reduced by 1 level mutant background
Popularity: 0

Powers

Sound Manipulation - Amazing (46) Limitation - Can only reduce sound levels, not increase them. Raise from Incredible (36)
Extra Attacks - Amazing (46)
Probability Manipulation - Good Luck* 2 powers
Flight - Remarkable (26) - max speed 225 mph/15 areas a round

Talents

Martial Arts D
Business/Finance
Military

Potted History

Ronald Baxter grew up like any normal boy, then in his teens, whilst on holiday in Greece and exploring some ruins he stumbled on an old temple that triggered his latent mutant powers. The temple was to Harpocrates, the obscure God of Silence. Ronald found that he had Divine good luck, the powers of Godly flight and righteous anger, and Harpocrates signature power of being able to lessen noise - in Ronald's case by several orders of magnitude.

Ronald took his mutant arse to the wilderness and in medatative silence, learned kick-ass martial arts.