The RPG Character Library: Tunnels & Trolls Power Trip

This is a game I bought on a whim back in 2009 or so. It was an eye-catching little hardcover book and it featured a rules-set copied from Tunnels & Trolls, a game I really enjoy. I never played it, of course, but if I played every game I've ever bought, I'd still be going through them.

I was tired last night, but also wanted to get back on the character library train. I picked this book as a balance. It's short (72 pages) and it's based on a rules-set I already sort of know, so I figured it wouldn't be all that difficult to make a character.

Alas, I was wrong, so very, very wrong. The rulebook is laid out in kind of a bizarre fashion (there's character creation, then basic rules, then talents and superpowers, which are, rightly, part of character creation). Rules are buried in long paragraphs. There are some misspellings (at one point the book talks about someone having "powers over mature"). And also, there's a couple of chat tags sprinkled throughout the text (grin). This made making a character much more complicated than it would have otherwise been, since I had to hop around the book willy-nilly looking for the next step in the process.

Okay, so a bit of backstory. The canonical setting for the game is Trollworld, which is the world that Tunnels & Trolls takes place on. According to the book, something happened to the kremm (magic) field, killing all the wizards and magical creatures. When the kremm field came back, it was much weaker and harder to use. This caused a shift to science and technology, as well as interbreeding among the kindred species. Once we get to the time the game is set, their technology is no different from ours and the dominant species is a humanish looking creature called a newman (hello, Jerry.).

That said, I could be a dragon or an elf if I wanted to, or, if the book art is to be believed, something that looks like a giant spider in a trenchcoat and a fedora (m'andible).

There are rules for playing on Earth, or on another planet, but this mostly involves saying that you play humans and not newmen, and also that there is no Wizardry stat. Eh. Let's go with Trollworld.

There's a bunch of stats. Most of them are created using the old standby of 3d6 place in order. The one notable exception is the Tunnels & Trolls rule of TARO, Triples Add and Roll Over. This is, from what I can tell, the only way to get superpowers in this game. The rule works like this:

If you roll a triple, you roll again and add. You also gain a superpower tied to the power. If your subsequent roll is a triple, you get another power and the stat increases by a power of ten, and so on. So, if I rolled 1,1,1 on Strength, I could take Super Strength and roll again. If I got 6,6,6, I get another superpower and my Strength is now 210, not 21. If I rolled a 2,2,2 after that, I'd get another superpower and my Strength is now 2,700 (well, a little more than that, because I get another roll).

Suffice it to say that I did not roll any triples for my stats, so I am, in effect, a normal person. Well, a normal, very big person. My Height stat is a 14. Since the rulebook says that a Height of 12 = 6', and since I can just barely do basic math, this means that I am 7' tall. My Weight is 17. There is no correlation in the rules to explain how much I weigh, however.

The last two stats (Wealth and Experience) are calculated a bit differently. Wealth can either be assigned by the GM or randomly rolled on 3d6. So I randomly rolled it. Experience isn't actually XP in the D&D sense, but is more like Fate or Drama Points. At least, I think it is--the section in which Experience is supposed to be explained doesn't mention them at all. I rolled a 1, but I get another point for each adventure I complete. Huzzah.

At this point, I'd like to point out that there are two adventures in the back of the book that clearly have been written with an earlier/different version of the rules-set in mind. For instance, there is Astounding Girl--who can either be a GM-controlled PC or a quick character for the GM's bored friend to play--who has STR 14,000, CON 13,000, DEX 100, Speed 90. I am not even sure that the math is right for those rolls, and I also don't know how they rolled that many triples for her.

I also note that this section contains a villain (Flowstone), who has numerous superpowers but no super attributes, as well as ninjas who have no superpowers but lots of skills, even though there's no such thing as skills in this game.

I should also point out that the game is very specific about calling them "superior" powers and not "super" powers. The reasoning for this is that the game is meant to have a more low-power supers feel, as if we're playing nobody heroes in the DC/Marvel 'verses. That's fine, but I don't know how that works when you could theoretically have a character with 2,700 strength.

Anyway, back to character generation. I don't get powers, but I do get one talent. This is something that I can name myself. Then I pick an associated stat and roll a 1d6. When I use the talent, I use the adjusted stat instead of the base stat. Since Charisma is my best stat, I decided to make my character Intimidating. Then I rolled a 2, so my total is 17.

The book states that I have three Undiscovered Talents, which the GM will allow me to unlock if I roleplay well. The talents I unlock will be based on the roleplay that I do to unlock them. As someone who tried to make a freeform magic system where the GM decides what happens by fiat, I have a feeling this isn't going to work out too well in practice.

Now it's time to get equipment. The game states that I may not have superpowers, but I can get gadgets that give me superpowers. Neat! The gadgets, however, have punishingly high Strength and Dexterity requirements (18-35 or more). If I had stats that high, it would also mean that I had superpowers, so I wouldn't really need gadgets, so I don't know.

Also, some of these gadgets are devastating. One of the things I can get (ST 10, DX 19) is a disintegration pistol that will vaporize someone if they fail a save.

I can also get regular equipment, such as weapons and armor. Again, stat requirements for these are very, very high. I need a DX of 16 to use a rifle and a DX of 17 to use a bow. Gah! Armor is interesting in that ST requirements from different armor pieces stack. I can wear a police stab vest (ST 10), but I cannot also use a police riot shield (ST 5), because that makes the ST requirement of my armor a 15.

It is interesting to note that none of the items in the book have a Wealth requirement. This became rather obvious to me when I came to the Other Equipment section and found that I could live in an apartment, house, or mansion. Since there was no Wealth requirement, I picked mansion. Hello, Alfred!

In the end, this results in one of the shortest character sheets I have yet designed. A pity it took so much work getting there!

The Towering Terror

Strength	11	Intelligence	8
Constitution	7	Psychic	7
Dexterity	10	Wizardry	7
Speed	7	Luck	10
Height	14	Charisma	15
Weight	17
Wealth	10	Experience	1

Talents: Intimidating (17)

Equipment: Police Stab Vest (4 Protection), Cool Black Cloak, Staff with Skull that has LEDs in its Eyes (2d6+4 Damage, ST 6, DX 7)

The RPG Character Library: Uberbeans!

Uberbeans is a rules-light, funny, superhero game made by my friend Josh McGaw. I had a hand it it as well for, as Josh once said, "Geoff took all of the papers and cocktail napkins I had written on, turned the Joshinese into English, and put it in rulebook format."

I even get name dropped in the FAQ at the front of the book. Like so:

So, where did the name Uberbeans come from? The name came from a close friend, Geoff Bottone (of Geoffquest Games). While I can't tell you the particulars of that night until after the trial, let's just say that it was just something funny he said after a rhino chased the strippers out of the auto parts store while we hung from a chandelier. It still cracks me up to this day.
Was that before or after the Muppet flogging at the pee-wee golf pro shop? Hmm. I'm not really sure. It's still kinda fuzzy.
Who was that woman you were with? And why were you in a gorilla costume? Hey, that's it, buddy! You were warned! This interview is over!

The actual game is somewhat less silly, but Josh's love of comic books shines through on every page. Though the system is rather simple, it allows you to make a surprisingly large variety of superheros (and villains), with all the powers and tropes that one can find in many a graphic novel.

I started off without a character concept, but the character I wound up with is actually pretty solid and would probably be a lot of fun to play. Here's a quick overview of the character creation rules and the decisions I made along the way:

Attitude
This is a one or two-word description of the character's worldview and personality. You could be a Boy Scout (like Superman), a Vigilante (like Batman), or a Loner (like...Wolverine, maybe?). I decided to go against my usual inclinations and pick Dirtbag. According to the rules, "Okay, so you're not the friendliest kid on the block, but that's just the way life is. Tough if the rest of society is too busy being polite. You do the things that have to be done, morals be damned."

Attributes
My character has six attributes (Balance, Balls, Beauty, Body, Brains, and Karma). I start out with one point in each and get 9 points to spend however I like. The game uses a roll-under mechanic with a single d6, which means that, if I want to do something, I have to roll under my attribute to succeed. Attributes have a maximum of 5, but certain Uberpowers will allow me to give them pluses (written like Body: 4+). What this means is that I get to roll one die, plus one die for every + next to the attribute, and take the best of the results.

Attributes also give me modifiers to other things, including my secondary attributes (Hit Points, Stun Points, Recovery, Karma Pool, Initiative, Move, Action Pool, Dodge, Base Damage, Spot, and First Impression).

As is typical with point-buy systems, I made a character with balanced stats to start with, tweaking them once the concept gelled in my mind.

Skills
Josh writes, "once I thought that I could create a skill list so complete that even the creators of Rolemaster would be awestruck. However, I have a life."

He has instead decided to go with a short list of general skills. These skills can be given a focus, if you would like, but I don't know that it's necessary. So I could have Athletics 2 or have Athletics (Bocce Ball) 2. I also get the skill Well, Duh!!! at Rank 2.

Well, Duh!!!: Everyday skills that just don't matter to me, such as driving to the supermarket, taking a high school exam, or cooking macaroni and cheese. You may read, write, type, perform first aid, and drive a car, among other trivial things. This cannot be made a specialty.

I wound up leaving the skills for last, because I didn't know what sort of character I was going to make yet. Other than that he was a Dirtbag with balanced stats.

Uber Skills
These are self-taught abilities for heroes and are based off of one of my attributes. I get one to start with. After a lot of thought, I picked Shoot Guns Just Like Bruce Willis, which is based off of my Balance.

I'm a Dirtbag who likes to shoot guns? Maybe I'm a mercenary. Hmm. Interesting!

Uberpowers
This is where it gets fun. I get 5 Uber points to spend on Uberpowers. Some of them are single-purchase, while others are rank-purchase. I was flipping through this section, not sure what to pick, until I spotted the Aqua Man power. "Haha, Aquaman. So lame, right? Wait...no...I'm going to be Aquaman. This'll be great."

After some more flipping back and forth, I picked some powers that gave my character the ability to move and survive underwater, generate a mucous-like slime that covered him like armor, and made his skin (or the slime, probably) toxic, causing damage if he was touched.

It was then that I knew what my character's super name was. I christened him, "The Hagfish."

Equipment
I rounded out my character with some basic weapons and armor. Here's how those things work in Uberbeans.

Armor has variable amounts of Stop and Soak. If you get hit, subtract Stop from the damage. If there's any left over, subtract Soak from the remainder. Stop can be used for every attack, but Soak can only be used until it's gone. Any other damage that gets through Stop and Soak hurts me. My armor regains Soak points when I repair it.

Weapons do a set amount of damage on a hit, which can be modified by skills and Uberpowers. Most weapons also have a special damage type. For example, my pistols do Bleed 2 on a Breach. What that means is that if one of my attacks hits and does damage to my opponent, I get to roll another d6. If I roll 2 or less, my opponent starts to Bleed, losing one hit point per combat turn until they get first aid.

There are some more rules about armor, damage, and vehicles, but none of those things are particularly relevant to my character. So, that being said, here's my character!

Paul Navino “The Hagfish”

Concept: Dirtbag,Ex-Special Forces Mutant, Contract Killer for Hire

Balance	3/+2	Karma Pool	4
Balls	3/+2	Initiative	1d6+1 (+3)
Beauty	1/+1 (0)	Move	4
Body	3/+2	Action Pool	1 (+3) (+4)
Brains	2/+1	Dodge	1 (+1)
Karma	3/+2	Base Damage	2 Stun
Hit Points	6	Spot	1
Stun Points	9	First Impression	1
Recovery	4

Skills and Stuff (17 Skill Points)

Well, Duh: 2

Shoot Pistols: 5 (+2 Damage, +2 Initiative)

Athletics: 3

Pilot: 3

Military: 3

Survival: 3

Uber Skills (1 Point)

Shoot Guns Just Like Bruce Willis (Balance): This skill, inspired by The Man, allows you to use a pistol in each hand without the off-hand penalty and only half the shooting penalties for that situation.

Uberpowers (5 Points)

Armor (1): Generate hideously slimy mucous. +1 Stop, +3 Soak (total with suit: Stop 4, Soak 8)

Aqua Man (1): +5 Initiative, +1 Dodge, +1 Action Pool, Swim 45 MPH, Double Movement (water only)

Amphibious (1): Swim to depths of 250’. +1 Action Pool, +1 Initiative. Remain underwater for 1 hour without air.

Toxic (2): Anyone touching me must make a Body roll or suffer Biohazard 1.

Equipment

Energy-Dispersing Spandex Suit: Normal, Stop 3, Soak 5, -1 damage from all attacks, -1 Beauty

Dual Pistols: Damage 3 (5), Contact N/A, Breach Bleed 2, Ammo Bullets

The RPG Character Library: Stuperheroes

Stuperheroes is one of the games that I purchased and devoured many years ago when I was very much into making funny, niche role-playing games. It is a game in which you play a third-rate superhero with terrible powers going up against actual, albeit still silly, supervillains.

Some of the mechanics in the game are interesting. Bullets fired from guns technically do 3 Hurt if they hit you. However, most bullets in the game use what's known as the "A-Team Rule," which means that a) you only have to dodge once per round no matter how many bullets are flying at you and b) if you do get hit, you only get winged in the shoulder for 1 Hurt.

The rest of the system isn't particularly workable, however. Everything is decided on coin flips (heads you win, tails you lose), with automatic successes occurring every time you make the GM (or BMD--Big Mac Daddy) laugh. You can Rock/Paper/Scissors the BMD to get things to go your way, and you can also play Truth or Dare in order to heal yourself.

There aren't stats or skills to speak of. You get three randomly rolled stuperpowers and that's pretty much it. The deluxe edition allows you to randomly roll your origin story. I also randomly rolled my battle cry, because they listed six examples and I have a plethora of d6s.

So, here's my character.

Origin Story

From an eccentric aunt, you inherited some bionic chitlins!

Battle Cry

"For the glory of pants!"

Stuperpowers 

Drop 60’ Toilets from the Sky!

Twenty-Three Car Pileup!

Mentally Tie Shoelaces Together!

I think I might have been more satisfied with this character if I had gotten powers that gelled together in some way. I'm not sure what sort of character this is, and there simply isn't enough there for me to come up with something. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the things I like about the old school games is that random dice rolls can inform things about your character. This can be as basic as the old D&D standby, "my Strength is high, so I'm playing a warrior," or it can be a little bit more subtle, like Harry Christmas' high Fingerprinting skill indicating that maybe he worked for a police lab before becoming a PI.

With this, I don't know. The game says to base my character off of one of my powers, but I'm not...

Oh wait. I just realized I rolled up Mayhem from the Allstate commercials.  

The city's in good hands, I guess!