Mythic RPG: Ideas and Addendums 1, an Alternative Character Creation

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When it comes to character creation, I am forced to admit, that I stink at coming up with a character Summary (the first step in the Mythic RPG character creation process) off the cuff. Oh I have a million ideas for characters, but when it comes down to the moment I draw a blank. This can be blamed directly on the fact that I played and ran various D&D style games for more than 30 years, and though there were other games scattered into that time frame, the habit of 3 decades is hard to buck, fortunately Ms. Pigeon, the author,  hasn't made that necessary. 

If you check out Chapter 11 in Mythic RPG there is a brief but wonderful set of rules for converting characters to Mythic. And one of the options there is a 3d6 to Mythic Ranks conversion. 

Putting the Cart before the Horse
I am sure you can see where this is going, but lets go through the steps and make a character. For years now I have started by rolling Abilities, taking a good hard look at them, and let the numbers inspire the kind of character that would have what trait, talents, and personality. The randomization process can make some scores very high and some very low, but low scores and high scores each suggest some kind of background that made them what they are. 

For example, I rolled up a perfectly enjoyable character that had a Below Average Willpower but an Incredible Intuition. Those two traits spoke to me, and I was inspired to make a Medium whom was constantly plagued by Ghosts to the point he was  nervous wreck. From there, I had further inspiration to make a specific plaguing spirit that would some times possess the Medium and his mental skills, and very difficult personality would be dominant for the rest of the scene. It was the combination of the flaw and the outstanding high score that suggested the character. 

Lets go through the process fresh and see what we come up with. 

This is not going to be a point buy character, though  the number of points that would have been used is useful scaling the type of game the character would be suited for.

Starting with the six basic Attributes we get the following set of starting stats.
Strength 12; Agility 17; Reaction 10; IQ 9; Intuition 11, Willpower 11. Checking against the Scaling Chart on page  99 of Chapter 11, it comes out like this

Strength Average
Agility Incredible
Reaction Average
IQ Below Average
Intuition Average
Willpower Average  
Toughness Average

Toughness is a derived stat falling between Strength and Willpower, but as they are both Average there wasn't much calculation to go on.

If we jump back to Chapter 2 Character creation on pg. 21 we see a Cost Per Word chart. Tallying everything up this would be a 54 point character, putting it in range between "gritty real world" and "action adventure" genre expectations. It also suggest around 35 points of Abilities would be reasonable for the character. As this is not a point buy character, we don't have to strictly stick to that number, but it does suggest a couple of strong skills or one skill that is truly over the top. 

Looking at the two outlier Attributes makes me thinking of a sports that require high degrees of agility, but at the expense of developing there mind. Perhaps someone who was in at special training program, perhaps even something like the Olympics (adjusted to the setting of course). With those bits of information I can write a Summary.

Summary
Spider Bella is an up and coming infiltration talent. She got her start as an athlete for a mega-corp propaganda division, but due to sabotage during her training she was left "unsuitable" for propaganda tridios. She was moved to train for more clandestine work. 

After an infiltration snafu for the parent (corp), in which she was left for dead, circumstances moved her into the Shadows. She is a bit insecure in her new social status as a non-entity Fringer, but her Fixer makes sure her talents go to profitable use, and the family that houses her is well paid to see to her well being. She is a gifted spider (physical infiltrator) with the skills for getting in and getting out of physical securities. Her Fixer makes sure she has the equipment needed of more technological obstacles. 

Putting the Horse back in Front.
Now that the summary is in place, lets have a look back at the character Attributes and see if anything needs changing, because the initial rolls were specifically for inspiration.

I want to leave the high Agility and low IQ alone. Those are basic building blocks for the character. I think an average Willpower is right for a former corporate operative. But her Intuition and Reactions are weak for her role. So, I will raise those to Above Average.

Attributes
Strength Average
Agility Incredible
Reaction Above Average
IQ Below Average
Intuition Above Average
Willpower Average
Toughness Average

Abilities (for this portion we just mine the summary for details, and keep a loose eye on the 35 point cap for an Action Adventure type game)

Acrobatics High (this is the same as her Agility -2RS, but it makes a good base to raise it higher)
Athletics Average (Some Athletic that are nearly pure agility, like pole-vaulting would default to her Agility -2RS making them High)  
Dance Average (This also could default to her Agility -2RS giving her a roll of High. It is here mainly as flavor)
Infiltration  Incredible (This is her primary skill and includes stealth, B&E, and other specialized mechanical infiltration skills)
Martial Arts Average (This could default to Agility and be High, but that wouldn't work for locks and holds, just for strikes and kicks)


(while this is more points than the suggestion allotted for they do make since for the character, and a number of them will be paid off in Weaknesses below)

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Secret Identity +1RS on remaining concealed when off the job, on the job she wears a mask that conceals her features from physical observation. She has no visible tattoos or scars. The bonus is for a changed affectation of cold professionalism when she is "working". This is a remnant from her corporate training.
• Foster family at a cost -1RS. On the Fringe nothing is free, but then again in the Corps nothing was either, so Bell feels both an emotional and financial debt to her foster family.
• Fear of Abandonment -1RS to mental actions when suddenly left alone.
• Gullible -1RS to resist subtle trickery or flattery
• Holds a Grudge -1RS when socially dealing directly with corporate representatives
• Enhanced visual memory +2RS when recalling visual details (such as blueprints and floor plans). This is also a remnant of her corporate training.
• Outside Life -1RS for dealing with pressures brought on by non work conflicts (typical teen superhero drama)
  
• Fixer- Bob the Guy +1RS - Bob can find work for Spider Bela when she requests it, but it tends to be easy low pay work that both he and his foster family get a cut of. 
• Debt to Bob the Guy -3RS Bell is a very moral young woman (burglary and corporate espionage is just a job). She feels an amazing debt to the Fixer that dragged her back from the brink. That impacts every interaction she has with him, and the Fixer is very good at reading character and knows it. 

In the end we have a young adult woman, slightly stunted by the conflicts in her life. She can be a cold calculating infiltration specialist, but that is a mask over a vulnerable and sensitive fish out of water who feels a great debt of gratitude, and a large amount caring for her foster "family".  How long can she manage both "lives" before they lead to a breakdown. That is up to Mythic to decide.