Character Development

[Greentitch]

The idea of this thread is to develop the character (or Investigator) that you will be playing in a CoC game. In a way we'll be doing this in reverse to the way you might be familiar with in many computer RPG games.

The first thing to consider is the background, mentality, aims and appearance of your character. This is often the last step in computer games, but in a role-playing game it's the most important. It will be what determines how you play your character, so choose something you'll be happy to play with. In parallel with this you should be considering the occupation of your character (you can find a list of these in part 2 of the Investigators Handbook.
Based on your occupation you'll have a list of available skills. Don't worry about numbers to begin with, just consider what type of thing your character would be good at. You'll also get some "personal" skills; things you know about outside your job, so consider those as well.
Finally we'll sort out numbers. These aren't half as important as you might think, but they are used when rolls are required. As with most games you have some base statistics representing your physical and mental attributes, as well as skill levels. Each skill has a value from 0-100%, representing the base chance you have to succeed at using the skill. The statistics in CoC are: Strength, Constitution, Size, Intelligence, Power (analogous to Will or Spirit in other games), Dexterity, Appearance (physical attractiveness), Education and Sanity.

There's not really any restrictions on what you can be. Remember however than a weak but quick minded professor or a fast talking taxi driver could be just as useful (if not more so) than a soldier or famous star. Your background doesn't make you successful, it's how you play your character. This isn't a game about heroes, but normal people coming into contact with horrors and overcoming them.

Please feel free to post and discuss the kind of character you want to play.

[Kryten]

Well quite intrigued by the whole idea of this type of game. Had a chance to skim read the 2nd pdf about characters etc. Hopefully get a bit of time over the weekend to have a better read over some of the other stuff and background.

Just to get the ball rolling, while I read through some of the professions I seemed to be drawn more to the run of mill / common type of character I would associate with the 1920's. Not even sure if this is the sort of thing Duncan is looking for but if I was playing I would probably pick something out of miner, pickpocket, salesman or reporter. All sort of average people with low/normal income who all have a few specific traits which could be uselful while playing.

Only question would be do all traits have a time and a place or are some a lot better than others? Just never having played this type of game before don't really know what I'm looking for.

[Greentitch]

Don't worry, there's no rush in this stage. I don't plan on starting any time next week.

Anything in the list of professions is a good basis for a character. Average people are exactly what this game is about; average people drawn together as investigators into the strange rumours and mysteries of the world. We'll work out the details of how you are drawn together later on.

You shouldn't really have concerns about skills being better than others. I've listed some of the most useful skills below, but everything will have its place. It's really up to you to use the skills you have. The whole point is that you are solving the problems, not just jumping through hoops which require certain skill checks. The skills below are important to have somewhere in your group but you by no means need to know all of them yourself. I think all the occupations will allow you to take at least one as a primary skill. You can be just as effective with none of them however; as I said before, it's up to you to use the skills you have to solve the problems you face.

Library Use - invaluable for locating evidence, clue and background within libraries, archives and other information storage.
Spot Hidden - handy for noticing clues, lurking cultists and any object that you don't see at first glance.
Other Language - Cthulhu Mythos tomes and other writings are often not written in English. Ancient languages such as Latin or Arabic may be of particular use with occult writing; simply foreign languages such as French might be useful at other times.
Bargain or Fast Talk - quickly talk your way out of (or in to) situations, or make a deal with almost anyone.
Credit Rating - useful for getting access to all sorts of places where common folk aren't welcome.
Firearm or Melee Weapon - at some point you'll be in a fight with some henchmen or cultists. Not much help when dealing with the supernatural however.
Academic Skills (Physics, Astronomy, etc.) - Knowledge is always useful, but who knows when it will be relevant?
First Aid or Medicine - emergency treatment keeps your fellow investigators alive and further care makes them heal faster.
Psychology or Psychoanalysis - the former offers insight into the motives of others and the latter offers mental first aid for those suffering from severe emotional shocks.

[Greentitch]

I feel I should make something else clear. Don't worry about making the perfect character for you. Chances are you'll get eaten, ripped apart or driven insane soon enough. Investigator deaths are common and eventually inevitable. There's a good chance someone would die in the first mission you go on; the world of Cthulhu is a scary place. You'll get chances to play other characters in the future so don't put your heart and soul into your first one because they probably won't have a amazingly long life... Neither will subsequent ones but you might become a little more cautious after having your head ripped off by some unspeakable horror that you decided to attack rather than run away from, screaming.

[Commando]

Okay, I've been reading through the PDFs and think I've come up with a basic idea for a character I'd like to play.

Name: William Jennings
Age: 28
Earnings: Middle Class
Career: Business, Company Manager, Banking
Description: William is a recently promoted low-level manager at a local commerical bank. Ambitious and career-oriented, he's unfortunately not terribly talented and got to where he is through hard work rather than ability. His superiors see him as dependable if not overly bright. He lives alone in a two-bedroom apartment a couple of miles from his office. His older brother, Robert Jennings, was the adventurous one of the two. Robert joined the Army during the War and came back a changed man, talking about strange visions and experiences which William dismissed as nightmares. Robert became increasingly unsettled over the past few months, trying to convince William about some conspiracy he felt he'd uncovered. Two weeks ago Robert vanished and hasn't been seen since.
Appearance: Fairly plain and average in build and appearance, with short black hair and slightly pale skin, William doesn't stand out in a crowd and would be easy to overlook. He isn't overweight but rarely exercises and has low physical fitness.
Skills: Accounting, Bargain, Credit Rating, English, Drive Automobile (owns a small car)

[Greentitch]

That's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks

[Brechnar]

I gave it a try as well.

Name: Arthur Clarke
Age: 21
Earnings: Lower Middle Class
Career: Book Dealer
Description: Arthur works in his father James' (45) book store. They have a respectable reputation and their clientele mostly consists of the more wealthy members of society. Every so often his father sends Arthur off on a buying trip around the country to find rare books, which customers have ordered. Together they live in a small apartment right above the book store. Arthur has always been a passionate reader, mostly historical books and mystery novels. He's also taught himself a bit of French and German. He's a bright boy but a bit introverted, even more since his mother, Margareth, died a few months ago after a brutal mugging. Both Arthur and his father are having a hard time getting over this tragic event, especially since the killer still hasn't been caught.
Appearance: Arthur likes going for a long walk to set his mind off things, so he's in pretty good shape. He's quite tall but has a rather fragile build so he hasn't got a lot of strength. He has dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He's quite attractive but doesn't really seem to realise.
Skills: English, Other Language, History, Credit Rating, Library Use

[Kryten]

Attempt number 1

Name: Henry Campbell
Age: 25
Earnings: Upper Lower Class
Career: Coal Miner
Description: Henry is a anthracite miner in the local coal mine just outside town. He works there underground in tough conditions everyday with his younger brother James, like their father had done for years before them. Mining was his father's life and all he ever knew. Henry and his brother both live with their parents in a small house on the edge of town. They work hard to make a living for their family but the work is tough, the day is long and the pay is poor. Henry resents the the poor wages forced on them by the mine owners but doesn't think the worker's union will solve the problem any time soon. Having no great education during childhood he doesn't know much else than mining but having seen his father and the other workers around him struggle through life he knows he needs to move on and find something else worth doing.
Appearance: Like his father and brother, Henry has a tall, muscular build. Working in the coal mines has made him strong and tough. Due to the conditions in the mine he keeps his jet black hair very short but used to have short wavy hair. He has dark brown eyes and in his teens he was told very attractive although years of hard labour since then have toughened his features and made him look older than his really is.
Skills: Climb, Geology, Jump, Operate heavy machinery, Spot hidden

[Greentitch]

Looks good guys. I'll post some more information on the next steps when I get a chance.

[FragZero]

I'll write something later this week, too busy atm, sorry.

[Greentitch]

So there's still a couple of people who want to post characters. That's fine, you can still do that but take a look at the following information too.

The next step is to determine your stats. The way we will be doing this is by assigning your stats manually. However please try to think about the stats that represent your character rather than very powerful ones.

Strength [3-18] - Used for physical actions. How much weight can you lift, how hard can you pull on that door, how hard do you hit people in melee combat.
Constitution [3-18] - Represents your health and vitality. Also used to resist drowning, poisons and diseases. Determines the number of hit points you will have along with Size.
Size [8-18] - Represents your size (height and weight). Indicates whether you might fit through a tight gap, or be able to see over a fence. Also affects your hit points and melee damage bonus.
Intelligence [8-18] - How clever you are; but not how educated. How well you learn, remember and analyze or come up with new ideas. This also influences how many personal interest skill points you get (the skills outside of your occupation).
Power [3-18] - Indicates how much willpower you have. Also represents your natural aptitude with magic and ability to resist it. Also used to determine your starting amount of sanity points and how lucky you are.
Dexterity [3-18] - How nimble and fast you are. How well you can balance, how easily you can grab something to stop yourself falling or how easily you can perform delicate operations. Also used to determine how quickly you react in combat and how well you can dodge incoming attacks.
Appearance [3-18] - Attractiveness and friendliness. Used to determine the first impressions people have of you; however this won't last forever.
Education [6-21] - Formal and factual knowledge. Not the same as knowing how to use that information. This determines how many skill points you can allocate to your occupation skills. Also used to determine your general knowledge and skill with your native language. EDU 12 would be a high school graduate, EDU 16 would indicate a degree from university. A well trained but not formally educated person may also have high education.

Note on age: The minimum age for an investigator is EDU+6. You can choose to be older which can gain you 1 EDU for every 10 years, but will reduce your other stats if you are over 40 years of age. Probably not an issue for the characters above.

You have a total of 100 points to allocate to your statistics. The acceptable ranges are shown above next to each stat. I'd suggest you don't make any stat too low or too high without good reason. You'll be doing a lot of different things on each adventure. The average for each stat is around 10-12.

[Kryten]

Henry Campbell:
Strength - 13
Constitution - 13
Size - 12
Intelligence - 11
Power - 11
Dexterity - 10
Appearance- 12
Education - 10
Total - 92
Think this would represent my characters strength and toughness while lacking in a proper education, or are they too average and they should be more extreme?

[Greentitch]

I'm going to increase the number of available points to 100. Everyone should spend at least 12 points in Power as this is important for the sanity used often in the game.

Kryten, I think the extra points you now have should help your character be less average. I think your strength and constitution should be higher as a miner and I'd advise putting another point or two into power (as a miner you'd be quite strong willed to put up with the conditions and dangers you work with every day). Otherwise it looks like you're good; an average guy who's strong in body and mind from the work he's done.
It should be fun playing the tough guy who isn't stupid but has only been educated "down pit"

[Kryten]

Henry Campbell: edit 1
Strength - 15
Constitution - 15
Size - 13
Intelligence - 11
Power - 14
Dexterity - 10
Appearance- 12
Education - 10
Total - 100

It should be fun playing the tough guy who isn't stupid but has only been educated "down pit"

Glad you think so. Really looking forward to this. Thanks again for all the hard work

[Greentitch]

Looks much better. The only step left is to assign skill points. I'll explain that once other people have looked at their stats.