"WHO are YOU? ...For that matter, who am I?"
—Silverbolt, "Coming of the Fuzors, Part One"
As in any White Wolf game, characters are built on day one of gameplay, no rolling required. Players need only decide certain facts about their character, and make note of them on a character sheet. With a Cybertron character, you have plenty of freedom. You can literally be any age (from 10 million to one day) and from any place (from Earth, to Cybertron, to a foreign galaxy). Your only true limitation is having to conceive a character who fits in with the Chronicle you'll be entering her into.
The following is a walk-through on how to create a character for this compendium. Most of the information will look familiar to White Wolf players; however, those who are not familiar with White Wolf will probably not find all the information they need here. Players are encouraged to learn and understand the White Wolf system before they create a Beast Wars character with this method.
First, decide on an idea for your character. It can be something as simple as "robotic paladin" to something as complex as "I'm a former security chief who lost my home and family to a monstrous invader on a far-off colony, and I've now dedicated my life to tracking him down." Find a way to simplify your concept into a word or two, and jot that on the sheet.
Some very beginning players have a difficult time coming up with an exact concept right away. Those players should simply move on to the nitty-gritty of character construction, and see what kind of concept their creation grows to fit. However, it is more important to have an interesting concept than a set of unfeeling numbers, and a character, no matter what her scores, is only as interesting as what the player invests in her.
As part of concept, there are a few very important things which need to be selected: Beast form, Generation, Nature, Alliance, and Protoform.
A character's beast form is very important to fleshing out his concept. Choose an animal that you find interesting or that fits with your idea of the character. Be specific in the type of animal you choose. For example, "peregrine falcon" is better than just "falcon," and "bird" is much, much too vague.
For the Generation section, specify whether your character is a Cyberorganic Beast, a Fuzor, Transmetal, Transmetal/Fuzor, Transmetal II, or an Optimal. Characters all start out as a Cyberorganic unless they spend background points on their generation, but don't worry about that for now if your concept involves a character who has more than one animal form or who is a robot all of the time.
A character's Nature is how they are inside; what really motivates them. Your Nature is the set of rules you live your life by, and is a result of the way you deal with things life throws at you.
For your Alliance, decide what type of Cybertron your character is. The two most common alliances are Maximal and Predacon, but there is also the possibility of creating independent characters without an alliance. Alliance determines the character's activation code, as well as his general attitude.
A character's protoform may be the same as his alliance, or different. This is what the character's original Protoform is: whether the Protoform originated in the Matrix, the Pit, or has different origins. Ask your Storyteller where your characters are coming from geographically. You might face a limitation in this category if, for example, new characters are primarily generated from all-Maximal stasis pods as in the original series. Typically, however, you can choose whichever type of protoform reflects your character design the most.
A list of Natures and their corresponding descriptions can be found in nearly any White Wolf book on the market (with the exception of Werewolf). In most books, Natures and Demeanors are classified under "Archetypes;" in Changeling, they are called "Legacies." Naturally, some of these work better as Cybertronian Natures than others, but just about any of them can be used.
For the most part, the character's "Demeanor," the face that he shows to the world around him, which can be different from or similar to his Nature, is determined by his beast mode. A butterfly automatically carries a certain connotation; a tiger another. Demeanor is purely an outside trait, and effects roleplay, not gameplay. If players are having a difficult time deciding how to roleplay a character, they may annotate a Demeanor as well as the character's inner Nature.
Attributes are as normal for the White Wolf system. A rating of one is poor, two is average, three is above average, four is excellent, and five is exceptional. Attributes listed below are only those which require alteration from the ordinary.
Strength
Cybertronian strength is almost always greater than human strength. After choosing your Strength rating as compared to other Cybertrons, multiply it by two to find your effective Strength in robot mode. Thus, giving your character a Strength of one is actually giving her a Strength of two, and a Strength of five works out as an effective Strength of ten. Freebie points spend to alter the Strength attribute after initial creation count as one effective point and not one "virtual" point. An example: a player initially gives his character a Strength of two, then multiplies that result by two for his Strength in robot mode: four. With Freebie points, he gives himself another point of Strength, for a total of five. The maximum amount of Strength for a Cybertron in robot mode is ten.
Appearance
Effects how people treat you and interact with you, effects first impressions. Note that Cybertronians definitely have a different definition of what is beautiful: the most captivating Maximal would look positively alien to a normal human, although probably still good-looking in a strange way.
After choosing your initial attributes, decide on your character's attributes in beast mode. This is done by taking the character's Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, and Appearance, and pooling the result into one number. (Use your character's virtual Strength and not his robot mode "doubled" Strength.) Then, redistribute this one number among those four Attributes. Example: In robot mode, a character has a three Strength, a three Dexterity, a four Stamina, and a two Appearance. Those numbers are pooled into a total of twelve. With twelve points to spend, this character can have a new combination for beast mode: Strength of four, a two Dexterity, a two Stamina and a four Appearance—two Strength, five Dexterity, three Stamina, two Appearance—three Strength, four Dexterity, two Stamina, three Appearance. No Attribute in Beast Mode may have less than one dot; however, it may have more than five.
This redistribution is done before freebie points are spent. Freebie points can then be used to alter the Attributes of one mode or the other, but not both at the same time.
No Mental Attributes are altered in Beast Mode. Alteration of senses, abilities, etc., is covered in the chapter on Mechanisms.
Abilties describe what your character knows and has learned, and what your character can do. The Abilities used on the typical prototype Beast Wars sheet are as follows:
|
TALENTS
Alertness Athletics Brawl Dodge Empathy Expression Intimidation Primal-Urge Subterfuge Streetwise |
SKILLS
Animal Ken Etiquette Firearms Leadership Melee Performance Piloting Stealth Survival Security |
KNOWLEDGES
Computers Demolitions Enigmas History Investigation Matrix Repair Science Procedures Politics |
Abilities as above are normal as for other White Wolf systems save those which are "new" or which require further explanation below. Players may feel free to add their own Abilities from other sources in any category.
Primal-Urge
Measures the character's connection to his beast mode. A Cybertron with a low Primal-Urge rating does not understand his beast form; a Cybertron with a high Primal-Urge rating embraces it.
1 You know for sure you are part beast.
2 You willingly practice the habits of your beast mode.
3 The animal within you is your better half.
4 You have routine animal instincts.
5 You embrace your beast mode completely.
Specialties: (Varies greatly by beast mode), Hunting, Sense of Direction, Instinct, Combat
Animal Ken
Measures the Cybertron's ability to communicate with other animals—both those of his chosen beast form, and those that are not. A real beast will instantly recognize a Cyberorganic Beast who has no animal ken as "something different" from what it is used to. If the Cybertron does not have animal ken, he does not speak the language of his "own kind" of beast.
1 You can approach some creatures without frightening them instantly.
2 Animals of your own type see you as a possible friend, though still an "outsider."
3 Animals of your own type see you as one of them; you can communicate with them freely.
4 Other animals regard you as a normal beast; you are part of the group.
5 You can speak to creatures of almost any type.
Specialties: Typically the character's own beast mode.
Piloting
Practical replacement for "Drive." Refers to the Cybertron's ability to pilot land vehicles as well as planes or starships with ease. This does not typically refer to his ability to control his own vehicle mode, save at Storyteller's discretion in a very tense situation. If a Cybertron, for any reason, needs to drive an ordinary car, assume his rating in Piloting to be an equal rating in Drive.
1 You can start it up and hit "Autopilot."
2 You can pilot a starship of a simple class or two.
3 Starships of several classes are drivable; unfamiliar classes of ships are not a problem.
4 Not only can you figure out how to fly any ship, you can fly it under duress.
5 You're a Cybertronian Han Solo.
Specialties: 3-D Chase, Tight Maneuvering, any certain class of vehicle
Security
Refers to both the ability to break security systems, and the ability to design them.
1 You can pick a simple lock.
2 You can break or encode an electronic lock.
3 You can design a competent if simple security system, or break into one.
4 You can crack a safe or dismantle a bomb with ease.
5 Sentinel has nothing on you.
Specialties: Escape, Locks, Computer systems, Break-ins
Computers
An interesting knowledge to require purchase of, given that all Cybertrons know how to communicate with their internal computers. This rating refers especially to communicating with unknown computers and hacking into unauthorized data. Though all Cybertrons understand how to talk to their own computer, not all of them can use an outside computer, and not all can program or hack.
1 You can plug into a foreign system and log on.
2 You can plug into a system you have never seen before and understand its workings.
3 Programming your own interface or another's is a simple task.
4 You are an excellent hacker and can bypass most computer security.
5 Any system, any program, any computer, any time.
Specialties: Password Deduction, Encoding, Reprogramming, Designing, AI
History
In most cases, a knowledge of Cybertronian lore: of their wars, travels, colonizations, etc. However, this can vary greatly based on the individual and the setting of the story.
1 You know there was a lot of war on Cybertron.
2 You know who started it and why; you know a few names.
3 You know the names of important people and locations.
4 Your hard drive is a colonization database.
5 You know all the names, all the faces, all the places, and all the events.
Specialties: Colonies, Geography, Military, Human History
Matrix
Cybertronian theology: the Cybertron version of "Occult." Matrix refers to communication with ancient sparks and the Matrix itself. It also refers to knowledge of legends and Cybertron "magic." Matrix can often be rolled instead of Occult or Awareness, depending on the situation.
1 You've dabbled in Matrix lore.
2 You understand your origins.
3 You know something of the power of the Cybertron collective.
4 You know what the legends really say, and what they don't.
5 You've been to the other side and back.
Specialties: Spark Communication, Spark Powers, Legends, Restoring Spark
Repair
Refers to repairing any electronic device; however, also is the Cybertron equivalent of "Medicine," since medical knowledge and repair knowledge are essentially the same to a race of robots.
1 You can patch up battle wounds.
2 You can reattach a Cybertron limb, or fix a small computer.
3 You can fix anything or anyone you need, as long as the patient's spark is working fine.
4 Need a ship? You can build one.
5 You could have saved Dinobot.
Specialties: Data Tracks, Energon Damage, Emergency Repairs, Mechanisms, Drone Building
Science
Refers to sciences not involving repair, such as biology and chemistry. Can also refer to knowledge of earth type medicine, or the science of any foreign planet.
1 You can work a child's chemistry set.
2 You understand scientific textbooks.
3 You have a solid ground of scientific knowledge.
4 You've made up a few theories of your own.
5 You're a scientific master.
Specialties: Biology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Theories
Procedures
Cybertron's knowledge of the various procedures of Cybertron culture. Compare this ability to "Rituals." It may be related to Computers, Matrix, History, Repair, etc. See Chapter Six for a list of Procedures and explanation on how they are used.
1 You know a bit about what do to and when.
2 You can stand in the right spot at a Cybertron funeral.
3 You know what Predacons do versus what Maximals do, and can make an impression on either.
4 You can figure out how to act in plenty of odd situations on the home planet.
5 You know secret ceremonies dating back to the days of Prime.
Specialties: Predacon/Maximal Culture, any given Procedure, Repair, Design, Supernatural
As in other White Wolf games, you cannot begin a character with more than three dots in any given category, save those dots which are added with freebie points.
Decidedly missing from the above list is the Knowledge: Linguistics. The knowledge is logical for interplanetary travelers, but not utilized much on-planet. Characters may add the Linguistics knowledge if they wish to give themselves languages other than their native language, which, basically, is English. However, because languages are so simple for Cybertrons to learn, this is not particularly necessary. See the "Society and Learning" chapter for more information on languages.