Pregenerated PCs for Convention Use, Please Critique!

[bibliophile20]

Daren Slater, Geomantic Contractor

A big mountain of a man, Daren is skilled, persnickety general contractor with a minor talent for Earth magic.  Unfortunately, most people want it done fast and cheap, rather than skillfully.  He takes a small amount of pleasure in watching people who cut corners have to deal with the aftermath, but as that’s his primary bread and butter, the pleasure is usually eaten by having to deal with other people’s leftover idiocy. 


High Concept
Geomantic Contractor

Trouble:
Nobody Appreciates A Craftsman’s Work

Other Aspects
I Know Fung Shui
An Eye For Detail
Sturdy And Steadfast
Taken For Granite Except When Schist Happens
Like Arguing With A Mountain

Skills:
Great (+4): Discipline, Conviction
Good (+3): Craftsmanship, Endurance
Fair (+2): Might, Presence, Alertness, Intimidation, Contacts, Deceit
Average (+1): Lore, Burglary, Driving, Fists, Stealth, Scholarship, Investigation

Stunts:
Inexhaustible Power: You always have a bit more juice to draw upon. You may take two additional mild mental or physical consequences when facing the stress incurred from using evocation.

Was That Supposed To Hurt?: You are TOUGH. You don't avoid attacks, you just take them right. Use your Endurance skill to “dodge” attacks.

Fearless: You are not easily scared. All attempts to intimidate you suffer a two shift penalty.

Powers:
Channeling [Earth, -2]


Stress:   
Physical ○○○○
Mental ○○○○
Social ○○○

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Mild (Evo):_________________
Mild (Evo):_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh Cost: -5
Available Refresh: 3

[bibliophile20]

Jimmy Shepherd, Clued-In PI

Jimmy is a newly minted Private Investigator, paying off his debt as best he can.  It’s complicated by the fact that it seems like all his cases start off simple and keep getting more and more complicated.  Like the time a simple case of a philandering husband turned and grew into a bust of a multi-state gambling ring—and he still got stiffed by the wife.  Or the time when a simple missing purse lead to a very, very annoyed attorney general.  Or the time when a missing person report lead to him getting caught in the crossfire between a vampire hit squad and a crazy wizard in a grey cloak.  

High Concept
Clued-In PI

Trouble:
Here’s The Swamp To Drain… Wow, That’s A Lot Of Gators…

Other Aspects
Sherlockian Analysis
Just The Facts, Ma’am.
I Can’t Really Explain It, And Even If I Did, You Wouldn't Believe Me
Plays Pool For One Fact Per Five Points
Streetwise

Skills:
Great (+4): Investigation
Good (+3): Discipline, Deceit, Burglary, Presence
Fair (+2): Scholarship, Stealth, Contacts, Empathy, Resources
Average (+1): Lore Rapport,, Guns, Driving, Intimidation

Stunts:

Real Detectives Improvise: Most people need a number of skills to investigate properly, but you seem to do alright without them. When using a skill to investigate something or someone, you may spend a fate point to use your Investigation skill instead. For example, you could spend a fate point to use Investigation instead of Empathy when analyzing suspects in conversation.

I'm Looking For Mr Brown: You are extremely good at tracking people down. Increase your Contacts skill by two when using it to find someone. In addition, all attempts to find someone with Contacts are one time increment faster.

Listening: You can tune out your other senses and simply focus on your hearing, making you able to pick up faint sounds with astonishing clarity. Gain a +4 on your Investigation roll when Listening; however, your Alertness drops to Terrible while doing so, due to the exclusion of your other senses. If a conflict begins while you are Listening, it will take a full exchange for your Alertness to return to normal once you stop.

Pin the Tail: You’re a tough person to shake once you get on someone’s trail. Gain +2 to your Investigation rolls when trying to keep track of a target during Surveillance (page 133). When Shadowing someone using Stealth, you may use Investigation to complement (page 214) your Stealth skill.

Quick Eye: When examining a location for clues, your eye is quick to pick out the visual
details. Your first Investigation roll to determine deeper details about a scene is two time increments (page 315) faster than usual.

Scene of the Crime: You have a practiced eye when combing over a crime scene. In such a circumstance, you gain +1 to your Investigation roll and arrive at your findings one step faster than usual on the time table (page 315).



Stress:   
Physical ○○○
Mental ○○○
Social ○○○   

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh Cost: -6
Available Refresh: 4

[bibliophile20]

Kristie Hoffman, Half-Elf Runner

Kristie grew up on the streets in aching poverty, with a working mother and a missing father.  Her jibes were a defense and a weapon that got her in trouble a lot, and then in her mid-teens, she found out who and what her father had been.  And now she’s the fastest thing on two legs and revels in it.  

High Concept
Half-Elf Runner

Trouble:
My Mouth Runs Faster Than My Feet

Other Aspects
Running The Streets
There Are Just Some Things You Can’t Run Away From.
Adrenaline Junkie
Inertia Is A Harsh Mistress
Boys Can’t Catch Me, But Best Of Luck


Skills:
Great (+4): Athletics, Endurance
Good (+3): Contacts, Alertness
Fair (+2): Deceit, Burglary, Fists, Rapport, Intimidation
Average (+1): Stealth, Rapport, Empathy, Resources, Driving, Presence

Stunts:
Fleet of Foot: When sprinting (page 212), gain a +2 to Athletics.

Too Fast to Hit: When making a full defense (page 199), gain an additional +1 to the roll (for a total of +3) if you also take a supplemental action to move one zone. You do not take the usual –1 penalty for the supplemental action.

Infuriate: Scaring people isn’t your forte; seriously pissing them of, on the other hand, is right up your alley. Gain +2 to any roll when deliberately trying to get someone angry with you (a social or mental attack or a maneuver with such a goal). Any consequences (such as grudges) or temporary aspects that result must name you as the source and target of the anger.

Powers:
Inhuman Speed [-2]


Stress:   
Physical ○○○○
Mental ○○
Social ○○○   

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh Cost: -5
Available Refresh: 3

[bibliophile20]

Landon Donte Greer, Indecisive College Student

Born into old money, with a silver spoon in his mouth, Landon has been spoiled rotten for most of his life.  Currently in his fifth year at the local college, and having switched his major almost every year, Landon is a party animal that, while smart, gets bored easily, and learns a little here, and a little there.  However, he also has a strong sense of doing what’s right.  He’s not sure where it came from—his sister certainly doesn’t have it, but he’s stuck with a conscience, and he’s had personal encounters with the big, nasty things out there in the night.


High Concept
Indecisive College Student

Trouble:
A Major?  What’s That?

Other Aspects
Jack Of All Trades… Master Of None.
Everybody Knows Me
Piling Higher and Deeper
Trust In The Fund
Mistakenly Issued A Conscience


Skills:
Good (+3): Athletics, Presence, Resources
Fair (+2): Scholarship, Endurance, Alertness, Rapport, Intimidation, Deceit, Might
Average (+1): Lore, Weapons, Empathy, Fists, Driving, Stealth, Survival,

Stunts:

Lush Lifestyle: Your wealth is well-established and robust, making you the man or woman who has everything. Normally, someone may be assumed to have an item that costs two steps less than his Resources without having to seek it out and buy it, assuming that it makes sense for him to have attained it previously. In your case, it’s any item equal to or less than your Resources.


Martial Artist: As a result of advanced training, you are able to recognize many styles of martial arts, using Fists as a knowledge and perception skill focused on unarmed fighting. This enables you to make assessments and declarations related to fighting styles and fighting culture using your Fists skill. Such rolls are made at +1.

Sex Appeal: Folks attracted to people of your gender cannot help but notice you. You’ve got “it.” Receive a +2 to the roll on any seduction attempts you make with Rapport, provided that the target is someone who could be receptive to your advances.

Honest Lies: Whenever incorporating a real, valuable piece of the truth (however marginally valuable it may be) into a lie, you gain a +2 on your efforts to pass of the untrue parts.

The Social Graces: Keen awareness of the ebb and flow of social situations makes you the master of your circumstances. When determining initiative in a social conflict, gain +2 to Empathy.

Everybody's Buddy: People like you. Use Rapport instead of Contacts for the Knowing People or Gather Information trappings.


Stress:   
Physical ○○○
Mental ○○
Social ○○○○   

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh: -6
Available Refresh: 4

[bibliophile20]

Meri Metzger, Firefighter Squad Leader

Meri is the daughter of a second-generation firefighter.  After her older brother was killed in a routine fire, she took up the torch and joined the squad, and found a home.  Moving her way up the ranks, she eventually became a squad leader for her unit, and one day, she and her team went to go put out a fire—and found a man in a grey cloak throwing fire at big… things.  As a result, Meri is clued-in and somewhat unhappy about it.

High Concept
Firefighter Squad Leader

Trouble:
My Job Is To Run Into Burning Buildings

Other Aspects
The Family Tradition
The Voice Of Authority
The Building Was On Fire And It Was All His Fault
Whizzing On Forest Fires
Steeled And Fiery Temper

Skills:
Great (+4): Presence
Good (+3): Athletics, Discipline, Endurance
Fair (+2): Investigation, Rapport, Empathy, Alertness, Contacts
Average (+1): Resources, Scholarship, Conviction, Might, Fists, Intimidation

Stunts:
No Pain, No Gain: You can take a bunch of punishment before it starts to add up. You may take one additional mild physical consequence (page 203).

Leadership: When you talk, people listen. When using Presence to command a group (page 137), gain +1 on the effort. Further, your efforts to coordinate a group are efficient, moving one time increment (page 315) faster than normal.

Fireproof: You are incredibly resistant to fire and extreme heat in general. You have a natural armor score of 2 against fire.

Encouraging Leadership: People feel braver with your support. When leading a group in a social situation you may have your Presence skill complement that of your group.


Stress:   
Physical ○○○○
Mental ○○○
Social ○○○○
Armor:2 vs fire/heat   

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Mild (P):_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh Cost: -4 (Pure Mortal)
Available Refresh: 6

[bibliophile20]

Renee Chandler, Psychomantic Antiquarian 

Renee is one of those people that are found in libraries, museums and antique shops, guardians and preservers of history.  And she cheats; she can read an object like a book, pulling out details of its history in a fashion that few others would believe.  However, she’s not an ivory tower intellectual; she knows how violent history was, and how things haven’t changed, but she does her best to keep it from getting worse. 

High Concept
Psychomantic Antiquarian 

Trouble:
Some Knowledge Is Better Off Buried

Other Aspects
Knowledge Junkie
Just Because I Love The Past Doesn’t Mean I Live There
I Refuse To Have A Battle Of Wits With The Unarmed
This Was A Nice Town, Once
Realist, Idealist, Hint Of Romantic


Skills:
Great (+4): Scholarship, Investigation, Lore
Good (+3): Resources, Contacts, Discipline
Fair (+2): Conviction, Empathy, Presence
Average (+1): Rapport, Driving, Deceit

Stunts:
Improved Psychometry: Your investigative skills are geared more to the magical than to the mundane. Increase your investigation skill by 2 when using it for the Psychometry power.

Capable Researcher: Some say you were born in a library. Any scholarly research you do is completed two time increments (page 315) faster than usual—due in large part to the fact that you’ve probably read something about it before. (This ability does not extend to Lore research, which somehow never seems to go any faster no matter how good you are at the mundane stuff.)

Read You Like A Book: People's emotions are pretty damn obvious to you. Add two to your Empathy skill when using it to read people.

Read the Surface: You can get a sense of someone quickly when trying to “read” them (page 129). Your first attempt to read someone takes less than a minute of interaction, instead of the usual ten. Any subsequent efforts with the same person do not enjoy this benefit.

Powers:
Psychometry [–1]


Stress:   
Physical ○○
Mental ○○○○
Social ○○○   

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh Cost: -5
Available Refresh: 3

[bibliophile20]

Steven Hasek, Kitbashing Enchanter

A nerd, a geek, a man who considers MacGyver to be the epitome of his trade… Steven is all of these.  He is also one of the best jury-riggers and bricoleurs in the business.  While most don’t know him or know of him, they know his work; his workshop is the primary source of physical special effects in the state, and some of his art stands in prestigious galleries.

High Concept
Kitbashing Enchanter

Trouble:
Bad Case Of Ironic Gremlins

Other Aspects
Make It Up As I Go Along
My Handy Swiss Army Knife Is All I’ll Ever Really Need.
On The Gripping Hand…
Meticulousness Is A Virtue
Cool Under Pressure

Skills:
Great (+4): Craftsmanship
Good (+3): Discipline
Fair (+2): Conviction, Endurance, Resources, Investigation, Alertness
Average (+1): Driving, Might, Athletics, Lore, Scholarship, Rapport

Stunts:
Bricoleur (Craftsmanship): You are skilled at improvising when making, breaking, or repairing something.  All of your Craftsmanship declarations and assessments made in the art of Bricolage ("to make creative and resourceful use of whatever materials are at hand (regardless of their original purpose)") are at a +1

Skilled Bricoleur (Craftsmanship, requires Bricoleur): Your creativity at improvising is unparalleled; You take no penalty for having inadequate tools and materials except in extreme circumstances.

Master Bricoleur (Craftsmanship, requires Skilled Bricoleur); Your skill and resourcefulness are unparalleled.  Your creations are cobbled together two time increments faster than normal, and last two time increments longer than they would otherwise.

Innovation Trumps Experience (Craftsmanship): Teaching yourself sorcery with a background in engineering means not using the “traditional" Crafting methods. The strength ratings of the enchanted items that you create are based off of your Craftsmanship skill.

Powers:
Ritual [Crafting, -2]
Refinement [-1]

Enchanted Items:
Pocketknife: 2 times per session, adds +2 to Craftsmanship
WD-50: Potion.  2 units of Strength 2 lubricant; applies temporary aspect of “Lubricated and Loosened” to object.
Duct-Tape: Potion-treated duct-tape.  4 units of Strength 2 duct tape, two slots.
Hammer: Enhanced to have always on Weapon:3
Toolbelt: Always on, grants +1 bonus to Might for carrying limits.
Goggles: Grants the Sight for 1 exchange 4 times per session; the metaphor is material related. 


Stress:   
Physical ○○○
Mental ○○○○
Social ○○   

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh Cost: -7
Available Refresh: 1

[bibliophile20]

Tia Wendy Shelton, Were-Raccoon Gymnast

Voted by her high school class as “Most Likely To Be Caught Climbing Up The Side Of A Building”, Tia is a cute little brunette with a strong curious streak that has often gotten her into trouble.  Combine this with her skill at freerunning and parkour and it’s easy to see why she considers little things like walls to be challenges.  Add to the fact that she can change into a small, furry raccoon at the drop of a hat, and the explanation on how she gets into places that she shouldn’t gets clearer. 

High Concept
Inquisitive Were-Raccoon Traceuse

Trouble:
I Poke My Nose Where It Doesn’t Belong

Other Aspects
The World Is My Jungle-Gym
Short, Cute, Not Defenseless
Ground Floor Is Boring
Stealthy, Silent Snoop
I Shall Wash And Wash And Never Feel Clean Again

Skills:
Human Form:
Great (+4): Athletics
Good (+3): Burglary, Investigation, Endurance, Presence
Fair (+2): Discipline, Fists, Contacts, Alertness
Average (+1): Lore, Resources, Stealth, Rapport, Deceit, Intimidation

Raccoon Form:
Great (+4): Athletics
Good (+3): Burglary, Investigation, Stealth, Intimidation
Fair (+2): Discipline, Fists, Contacts, Alertness
Average (+1): Lore, Resources, Endurance, Rapport, Deceit, Presence

Stunts:
Human Spider: Difficult surfaces aren’t much trouble to scale; reduce all climbing difficulties by up to 2.

Powers:
Beast Change [-1]
Echoes Of The Beast [-1]
Human Form [+1]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
   The Catch [+2] is Massive Physical Trauma and the like
Diminutive Size [-1]

Stress:   
Physical ○○○
Mental ○○○
Social ○○○   

Consequences: (P/M/S)
Mild:_________________
Moderate: _____________
Severe: ________________
Extreme: _______________


Total Refresh Cost: -5
Available Refresh: 3

[bibliophile20]

And that's the lot.  Eight pregenerated player characters; two practitioners, a wereform, a changeling, a minor talent, and three pure mortals.  Looking for thoughts, critiques, suggestions, etc and so forth.  I'm going to be providing these for the convention one-shots I'm planning on running, so keep that in mind: these characters have to be viable for just a single session, and only a single session, which is why I tried to min-max out any potential deadwood. 

Points that I know I need feedback on include the Kitbasher's gear, the were-raccoon and changelings skills, as they have powers that will boost or reduce those skills from their currently listed values--should I change the listed valued to take into account the powers?--plus the fact that I feel there's a few stunts "missing" from various characters. 

So, have at it!  And my sincere thanks in advance!

[devonapple]

This is probably going to be a nuisance, but you may opt to prepopulate all those Aspects with some Invoke/Compel examples, to help the players catch on more quickly. We probably don't need to critique those here, but perhaps when you prepare the final character sheets...

[bibliophile20]

I was planning on that; I'll probably end up throwing some of those examples on here for critique as well.

[MijRai]

My one suggestion would be to change the fire-fighter's Fists skill to Weapons. They use axes and such more then their fists in a bad situation.

[Richard_Chilton]

Just a thought:
You might want to write a few lines for each phrase so the players know where the aspects came from.  It probably won't make any difference for the con game, but it will help the players know how characters are made.

And the guest star phrases are great ways of explaining how the PCs know each other.

Richard

[Sanctaphrax]

I more or less like these characters, but there are a number of niggling issues that bug me about them.

The first is that it isn't immediately obvious that they are at Chest Deep level.

The second is that these characters are not at all optimized. My inner powergamer objects to the lack of Superb skills and to the suboptimal stunt selection. Now, this isn't necessarily a problem. But some convention players might prefer stronger characters.

The third and most important is that they don't seem like a cohesive group. There aren't any obvious guest star aspects and the division of roles is imperfect. While I like each of these characters individually (optimized or not), I don't see them as a team.

[bibliophile20]

I more or less like these characters, but there are a number of niggling issues that bug me about them.

The first is that it isn't immediately obvious that they are at Chest Deep level.

I picked the Chest Deep level deliberately; my current campaign PCs are at that level, I'm comfortable GMing with it, and I feel that it's accessible for someone who wants to just sit down and play at a convention without being too overwhelming. 

The second is that these characters are not at all optimized. My inner powergamer objects to the lack of Superb skills and to the suboptimal stunt selection. Now, this isn't necessarily a problem. But some convention players might prefer stronger characters.

If you have stunts to suggest, I'm all ears!  That's the entire purpose of this thread, afterall. 

The third and most important is that they don't seem like a cohesive group. There aren't any obvious guest star aspects and the division of roles is imperfect. While I like each of these characters individually (optimized or not), I don't see them as a team.

How this is going to work is that the convention game is going to have four slots for players, who will pick which character they want to play out of this pool of eight.  As I don't know which characters are going to be picked at any given game, I needed to make sure that every PC combo was potentially viable--hence the division of roles.  (The other four will become NPCs by default, but they'll be mostly off screen, so to speak)

As for the team dynamics, that's going to be included in the Invoke/Compel Aspects and Backstory sheet.