I'm going to take a stab at this, since it's been brought up repeatedly, poking at various portions of the system, to varying degrees.
First, the topic titled "stat system":
Rather than poking at it piece by piece, Imma just rewrite it, and subsequently rename it "Character Application." The overall goals are to megamanize it a bit more, re-add the character/faction/strength/etc. portions back in, and marginalize it so that a 15 in one stat conveys the same general meaning it does in all stats.
I reformatted it in a way that makes it longer, but is perhaps easier to read what different values mean side by side rather than in one long paragraph. As well, I added a leadership stat from a perceived weakness that a character could never radiate calm (1-4fear) and be a bad-ass (12+ fear) at the same time.
Topic Title: Character Application
Fairly linear. Merely fill out the following entries with anywhere between one meaningful word to several paragraphs if you are so inclined. There is no approval process, just post it up, and then get out there and join the RP!
Name: First name, some even have a middle name, a last name, maybe even a code name.
Race: Common choices include: Reploid, Human, or Anthromorphs.
Faction: Who you work for, or answer to. "Maverick Hunters" is the recommended option since the RP is based primarily around them. [
Other Groups]
Age: The number of years that have passed since birth or the activation of a reploid.
Physical Description:
Include a general description of physical traits, oddities, a listing of missing and/or extra appendages you have; and go from there.
Strengths:
What does your character do best?
Weaknesses:
What, per say, doesn't your character do as well as they perhaps should?
History:
How you came to exist, and how you came to be employed by the faction you just listed above.
Stats:
Run on a tiered system, ranging from 1-20. 1's and 20' are appropriately rare since they lose all meaning otherwise. The actual submission on your part is just 10 stats, each with the number 1-20 next to them. There is no stat pool, assign what you feel accurately represents the character then move to the next one. [Note: Characters with over-inflated stats with no valid reason will be knocked down to an appropriate level. Fleshy human + no armor = 20con; not in this lifetime.]
Quick Summary1 – is the lowest of the low, you were likely neglected, dropped on your head frequently and with much force, shunned from any form of social interaction, beat with the ugly stick until you began looking like one, have an imaginary friend, and nearly had a heart attack trying to sit upright.
8 – is an impromptu average, not your Joe Schmoe civilian, but an average, let's call it; Maverick Hunter. If you have not had a mishap during brain surgery, neglected a field of study, spent years on the potato chip/couch lifestyle, or lived in a cave for most or all of your life, then you likely have
at least an 8.
20 – is the absolute max. Years of effort have been put forth in obtaining this goal; if they were not through your own efforts, then through the efforts of a parent or creator(s). One does not merely stumble upon perfection.
Strength: Your ability to lift, push, pull, bend, flex, or otherwise break objects.
1: Lifting a 5 pound weight is all the exercise you can survive!
8: Lifting a 50 pound weight is no problem.
15: Lifting a 400 pound weight is no problem.
20: Ripping a tank into several smaller pieces without leverage may be a
slight problem.
Dexterity: Your ability to move about, perform precise motor functions, and avoid painful objects.
1: You crawl an astounding 15 feet per minute, repeatedly jabbing yourself in the eye while you try to suck your thumb!
8: You can hold your own in a race, and can even hold out a spare pinky while gripping a cup!
15: You're an Olympic class sprinter, initiated in the fine art of dodging bullets.
20: You played tag with Phantom and Boomer Kuwanger, and slapped them both on the ass to let them know whose bitch they were.
Accuracy: Determines how accurate your close range combat skills are.
1: You're more likely to hit a target by aiming at something else entirely.
8: You can easily hit a target, as long as it doesn't try moving; I mean you're only like five, six feet away generally.
15: You are a samurai, warrior of the blade, practitioner of slicing leaves in equal fourths as they float through the air; all while under a moonlit night, while cherry blossoms dance in the background.
20: Legends once spoke of a man who could slice open the gaps that separate dimensions. He decapitated himself though; slicing between dimensions is pretty tricky business after all.
Aim: Determines how accurate your long range combat ability is.
1: Recoil, barrel, trigger? ... Is that like Paper, Rock, Scissors?
8: Shooting cans at fifty feet is no problem.
15: You're a top notch sniper.
20: You can shoot the wings off a fly sitting on a horse's ear half a mile away without breaking the horse's stride.
Constitution: Determines how much of a hit you can take.
1: You were hit by a pebble on a mission, and have been on paid-leave ever since.
8. You can take a fair share of bullets, a couple saber strikes too; you do have armor after all.
15: It might still hurt, but it'll take more than 8 hits by a car with a spiked hood to do you in. (Mandatory MMX1 reference.)
20: If you got hurt; you probably just forgot to turn on your multi-phasic shielding and regeneration combo device, silly you.
Intelligence: A rating of overall intelligence and problem solving ability. (Note: Skills are a separate portion, no longer attached to intelligence.)
1: You rode the short bus to school, assuming you even went to school.
8: Problem solving is easy, X is both a mathematical variable and your great grand-daddy; you understand the basics.
15: You're an excellent tactician and have a grasp on some of the most difficult subject matters.
20: You can weave plans within plans within schemes within traps within deceptions with ease.
Charisma: How charming and socially acceptable you can act.
1: Charm is as foreign to you as the other side of the universe.
8: You get along well with others, but getting your way takes a concerted effort, just like in real life.
15: You can have breakfast at the in-laws, lunch with a king, and go out drinking with sailors without missing a beat.
20: Given five minutes, you could talk your way into someone's bed, explain to their spouse why they needed to leave without upsetting them, and perform pillow talk for the next six hours without losing their interest.
Appearance: How physically attractive your character is.
1. The ugly stick follows you around, just so it looks better by comparison.
8: You're not bad looking...not great...but not bad. Average even.
15: A striking beauty, you're practically classified as a weapon if you know how to shake it just right.
20: Your beauty is so epic that it cures blindness, induces a near-catatonic state in members of the opposite sex, and raises the ire of your own gender.
Fear: Your ability to invoke fear, (perhaps even resist it), conduct meaningful interrogations, and win through sheer bad-assery alone.
1: You have to beat someone with a blunt, or even pointy, object before they will realize you were seriously trying to intimidate them.
8: Smash a wine bottle against a table, and brandish the makeshift knife, they’ll get your point.
15: Close a cabinet drawer shut while even casually mentioning the implications of sticking a foreign object inside first, and your subject will be sweating bullets.
20: Sheer bad-assery that cannot be turned off! When you walk into town, everyone slips in puddles of their own urine while trying to run, screaming for their very lives.
Leadership: Determines your ability to calm others, maintain meaningful formations under duress, employ solid tactical movements, and generally earn the respect, and following, of others. (Note: Similar, but often separate from charisma)
1: During a crisis situation, you will be the last one expects help from, and who can blame them, you're horrible at it.
8: You can't screw it up that badly, but subordinates are often left wanting a more capable leader.
15: A solid leader that radiates a sense of calm, control, and awareness even under duress.
20: The peons of the world are yours to command, in a past life you could have even taken Sigma, and his 8 twins that would later follow, under your wing and show them how to really do it up right.
Parte de Segundo forthcoming if any interest is shown. I do tend to think something should be done though, the abundance of multiple 20's, appearances of even 21's and the sort would suggest a rewording to some extent, be it the above or other.
