Character Creation Guidelines
All characters start at PL 6 (90 Power Points).
Ability Scores:
There’s no enforced upper limit on these, but more than one or two above 20 might be pushing it (but see Powers, below). Don’t forget about your other Abilities, such as your Attack and Defense Bonuses, and the need to spend points on them. Your Strength mod doesn’t add to your Attack Bonus, nor does your Dexterity mod add to your Defense. If you don’t improve them “manually,” you’ll end up with a great character who can’t hit the broad side of a barn (or, if he’s the barn in question, avoid being hit).
Skills:
These should be the main focus and measure of your character’s competence; the majority of your Power Points will probably be spent on these and on Abilities.
Computer Skill is not allowed. There are a few computers in the world, but not as far as you’re concerned.
Conversely, some Skills, such as Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Investigate, and others, are practically mandatory. A noir character without a decent Sense Motive Skill is in a lot more danger than one with 40 points of Powers.
Feats:
These, along with Skills, define your character in this setting. Most Feats are allowed as written, with the following exceptions.
Combat: Blind-Fight, Elusive Target, and Favored Opponent are not allowed. Rage and Ranged Pin are allowed only with a very good explanation. Instead of automatically eliminating the -4 penalty for firing into melee, Precise Shot offsets it on a one-to-one basis (e.g., three ranks of Precise Shot would mean a -1 penalty), to a maximum of +0. Throwing Mastery does not allow the use of “normally harmless objects” as weapons. The use of Combat Feats to model fighting styles, like boxing, is encouraged.
Fortune: All allowed.
General: Diehard, Environmental Adaptation, Minion, and Quick Change are not allowed. Benefit cannot be used to increase Wealth. Trance requires a suitable background as explanation; additionally, you are not likely to have such a background. Sidekick is allowed, if well implemented, but in any event cannot provide multiple Sidekicks.
Skill: Artificer and Ritualist are not allowed. Connected and Contact each buy only one useful ally or contact, as appropriate. This ally need not be defined in advance, but if it is, you may automatically Take 10 with your associated Skill (Diplomacy or Gather Information) with no change in the amount of time required. Inventor is generally not appropriate for this campaign.
Powers:
When conceiving this part of your character, it’s important to remember the setting. The truly effective metahumans have (or had) special abilities which are reliable, powerful, and directly applicable to warfare. However, you’re not one of the elites, which is one of the reasons you made it through in the first place. Your powers should be interesting and fun to play, certainly, but also limited in terms of military applications (see Flaws, below). If you have multiple Powers, they should also have a strong thematic connection which reflects that they are, in fact, different aspects of the same basic Power (the Alternate Power Feat is good for maintaining consistency). Growth and Quickness don’t especially go together, but Growth and Shrinking do. If all goes well, you shouldn’t end up spending more than 15-20 points on Powers; your character should be perfectly competent without them. In fact, if you feel inclined to make a non-Powered character, go right ahead. A character with no Powers and several Ability Scores over 20 would be considered “super” by many.
A few otherwise-inappropriate Powers might be acceptable if handicapped by one or more Flaws.
Appropriate Powers:
Absorption (but not physical/kinetic)
Additional Limbs (must be bought with the Permanent Flaw)
Anatomic Separation
Animal Control
Animal Mimicry (cannot be bought with any Extras)
Boost (only at 1-3 pts/rank)
Cold Control (but no disallowed associated Alternate Powers)
Communication
Comprehend (Languages or Animals only)
Concealment (without the Close Range Power Feat)
Confuse
Darkness Control (but no disallowed associated Alternate Powers)
Dazzle
Deflect (only with a very, very good excuse)
Density (but not with the Insubstantial Alternate Power)
Device (within reason)
Drain (at 1-2 pts/rank)
Duplication (specifics subject to GM approval)
Element Control (but no disallowed associated Alternate Powers)
Emotion Control
Enhanced Ability
Environmental Control
ESP (preferably limited in some way)
Fatigue
Growth (cannot be bought at more than 4 ranks)
Healing (Empathic or Energizing only; no Persistent, Regrowth, Resurrection, or Total)
Illusions (but not with the listed Power Feats or Extra)
Immovable
Immunity (1 rank only)
Leaping (within reason – no tall buildings, no single bounds)
Life Control (but no disallowed associated Alternate Powers)
Light Control (but no disallowed associated Alternate Powers)
Luck Control
Magnetic Control (but no disallowed associated Alternate Powers)
Mimic (4-5 pt levels only with the Tainted Flaw; no Extras at any pt level)
Mind Control (no Mental Link or Extras; Sense-Dependent mandatory)
Mind Shield (at 2 pts/rank)
Morph (can only be bought at 1-2 pt levels)
Nauseate
Nullify (within severe limits)
Object Mimicry (within limits)
Obscure (not with the Selected Power Feat)
Paralyze
Protection (must be bought with the Limited Flaw; Impervious disallowed)
Quickness (must be bought with the One Type Flaw)
Sensory Shield (within limits)
Shrinking (cannot be bought with Atomic Size or Microverse Power Feats or Normal Strength Extra)
Sonic Control (but no disallowed associated Alternate Powers)
Speed (at 2 pts/rank)
Strike (at 2 pts/rank; cannot be bought with Thrown Power Feat unless bought as Device)
Stun
Suffocate
Super Movement (within severe limits; check with GM)
Super-Senses (within limits)
Super-Speed
Swimming
Transfer
Trip
Inappropriate Powers:
Adaptation
Alternate Form
Animate Objects
Astral Form
Blast
Burrow
Corrosion
Cosmic Energy Control
Create Object
Datalink (for obvious reasons)
Dimensional Pocket
Disintegration
Electrical Control
Elongation
Flight
Force Field
Friction Control
Gestalt
Gravity Control
Hellfire Control
Insubstantial
Invisibility
Kinetic Control
Magic
Mental Blast
Mind Reading
Mind Switch
Nemesis
Plant Control
Plasma Control
Possession
Power Control
Radiation Control
Regeneration
Shapeshift (buy Animal Mimicry and Morph instead)
Shield
Snare
Space Travel
Spatial Control
Spinning
Summon
Super-Strength
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Teleport
Time Control
Transform
Vibration Control
Weather Control (use Environmental Control)
Power Feats/Extras:
Depends on overall concept of character and Powers. Subject to GM approval on a case-by-case basis. In general, though, nothing overpowering or min-maxing will be allowed.
Flaws:
All are encouraged, especially Distracting, Side Effect, Tiring, Uncontrolled, and Unreliable. See also Wealth, below.
Hero Points:
Hero Points function more or less as described in the 2nd Edition M&M rules. The “Editing” variant of Inspiration costs 2 Hero Points, but will allow for significant influence on the scene (and possibly the entire game).
In addition to the listed methods of earning Hero Points, bonus points will be awarded for especially in-genre roleplaying, including notable instances of hardboiled or noir-style dialogue/slang (used well), evocative descriptions, monologuing, decisions which emphasize atmosphere at the expense of tactical advantage, playing an NPC well, etc.
Drawbacks:
To a limited extent, these are encouraged, apart from Normal ID, Vulnerable, and Weakness, which are generally more appropriate for a straight-up superhero campaign. Secret ID is possible, but not probable. Noir characters should be flawed but capable, so don’t overdo it.
Wealth:
The optional Wealth rule will
be used. Starting Wealth is 8. This can be lowered with a Flaw called
Poverty at a rate of -2 Wealth per +1 Power Point.
The Details:
When most people think of film noir, they probably think of Humphrey Bogart or Robert Mitchum as trenchcoated private eyes, but there is a lot more to the noir protagonist than that. In fact, private eyes and detectives make up a surprisingly small proportion of noir characters. Why, all kinds of characters can wear trenchcoats: actors, artists (unappreciated), barbers, bartenders, boxers, cab drivers, civil servants, district attorneys, electricians, fact checkers, fences, gamblers, house painters, insurance adjusters, interpreters, jewelers, lawyers (defense), locksmiths, mechanics, musicians, notaries, operators (female), photographers (undervalued), reporters (plucky), salesmen (desperate), thieves, and writers (struggling), among others. Whoever they are, they tend to lead lives of quiet desperation and unfulfilled dreams.
(It’s not that I think you’re
all going to make Philip Marlowe, because I know you won’t. I just want to encourage you to think outside
the stereotype. That said, if someone
isn’t a detective or a private dick, we’ve done something wrong.)