Crystal Heart

In most role playing games, your fictional character is presented in a character sheet – a summation of their abilities, personality and place in the world, everything you need in order to play them. Want to see Mac‘s character sheet? Let’s go through it, step by step.

We’ll explain some of the basic rules for Savage Worlds in a later strip, but for now you should know this: Whenever you want to do something, you roll a die. Which die? That depends on the specific Attribute or Skill you’re using. The “larger” the die, the better your odds are.

Attributes

These are your five defining features as a person. A d4 is weak, d6 is average, and d12 is wow dude, have you thought about going for the Olympics, because you’re kinda insanely gifted. Here is Mac’s distribution of attributes:

Agility – d6. He’s averagely agile. Don’t ask him to jump over a really high fence.
Smarts – d10. Mac is wicked smart, he knows tons of stuff and is also clever enough to use that knowledge to get what he needs.
Spirit – d4. Mac doesn’t really get people, or how to talk to them. He also has a somewhat shaky image of himself, his mind is usually busy with all of that mechanical and sciency stuff.
Strength – d6. He might be physically big, but that size doesn’t translate well to sheer strength.
Vigor – d6. He gets the flu like everyone else, and if someone stabs him, it’s gonna hurt a lot.

Skills

These are the things you’ve learned how to do, the abilities that you’re going to use a lot during your adventures. You can try any skill (“Quick, start the car!”) but if you don’t have that skill, you’re gonna suck at it (“Watch out for that truck! Nooooo”). Even a d4 is preferred over nothing, although a d6 is of course better; having a d12 at a skill means you’re probably world-renowned.

Driving – d6. Since this is a world with the occasional hi-tech vehicle, and since the party is going to be traveling a lot, Guy wanted his character to have a cool car and to be able to drive it well.
Fighting – d4. Thanks to some basic Syn training, Mac knows some hand-to-hand moves, and can even wield a melee weapon. He doesn’t want to, though.
Intimidate – d4. Mac is a big guy, coming from a demanding society (Fjordstad; more on that, in a later post). To get things done, he tends to be demanding and sometimes fierce.
Knowledge (Science) – d6. This is the very (very) general skill of “Hey, Game Master, I’m playing a clever guy; what does he know about the structure of this cave? Is there a weak spot in the ice so we can blow it up?”
Lockpicking – d4. Bypassing locks seems like a useful skill, but a d4 is kinda weak. Guy wants to increase the die, later on as Mac advances.
Notice – d8. The ever-important skill of recognizing the ninja before it strikes from the shadows, or noticing the suspicious red stain on the other side of the door.
Repair – d8. This is what Mac is all about – fixing things, working with machines, being an engineer.
Shooting – d6. Remember Mac’s weak Fighting? That’s because he’s planning on standing behind Muna, shooting things with his shotgun.

Crystal Use – d4. This is a special skill (a type of Aracne Background, if you know Savage Worlds), that allows the Agent to use the Crystal he or she is carrying inside their Harness. That is, in their chest. Guy wants to see Mac becoming a great engineer before he becomes a great Crystal user, so he’s fine with Mac’s lowly d4 for now. He also made sure to take a relatively “calm” Crystal, called Survivor, with powers that help with defense and endurance – nothing too spectacular or explosive. He doesn’t want to roll a critical miss (which is likely with a d4!) while using a Crystal that shoots lasers, for example.

Edges

These are the general abilities that, well, give you an edge!

Brawny – Mac is a big guy. He’s tougher than most (it’s harder to actually damage him), and he can carry loads of stuff. Guy really likes his characters to be prepared. Which is why he also took…
McGyver – This cool Edge allows a character to improvise a tool when the need arises, and even rig new devices on the spot. As you can see on this page, in order to rationalise Mac’s ability to always carry with him the right tools, he’s going to have a large coat from which he’ll occasionally pull out a useful thing.

Hindrances

These are, in a way, the opposite of Edges. They are physical, mental or social conditions which make your life a bit harder. But! If you incorporate them into the game in a fun way, you’ll get Bennies, which are the best things in the world, as we’ll show in a future page.

Loyal – Mac would never leave a friend behind, if there’s any chance he could help. He himself was left behind once; never again.
Vow – Mac sees himself as an obedient and loyal Agent of Syn, and would be hard pressed to go against the Agent’s Code.
Arrogant (Crystal) – Every Crystal contain its own unique powers… and its own unique Hindrance, affecting its Agent’s mood and demeanor. Survivor makes Mac an annoying, arrogant person.

Other Stuff

There are a few more things beyond this, of course, such as gear and some derived statistics such as Parry and Toughness. In some worlds you might be able to choose a race, but in Crystal Heart there are only humans; there are, however, Five Lands, and the land you came from determines some things about you. For example, Mac, hailing from Fjordstad, got a boost to his Smarts, because that’s just how Fjordstadian are! It’s the Land of mad scientists.

For the full details on character creation, check out Savage Worlds – only 10$ guys!